


Morality Recommended: Redux

by ghostings (beskar_hearts)



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/M, Re-write, and planning, and why create new content when you can force old content down people's throats, author is better at writing now, headcanons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:34:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25534450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beskar_hearts/pseuds/ghostings
Summary: Valerie left Amity Park after high school without a backwards glance.When her job forces her to return six years later, she will discover that some wounds need more than time to heal, some friendships are more important than you realize, and sometimes the only way not to become a pawn in someone else's game is to play your own.
Relationships: Danny Fenton/Valerie Gray
Comments: 32
Kudos: 60





	1. Promotion

Valerie stood in the entrance to her office, staring blankly into the empty room. It was nearly unrecognizable without her various knick-knacks and posters. The complete absence of her usual brand of clutter further made it feel like a foreign environment; nothing like the place she’d been working in for four years.

She heard someone clear their throat behind her. She turned to find Eric Shoreson, her soon to be former boss, standing there: stance wide, shoulders back, white suit pristine. His demeanor screamed confidence. If she didn’t know any better, she would’ve believed it.

“You don’t have to kick me out. I was just leaving.” She said, turning to stare into the empty office for one more moment before stepping out of the doorway and brushing past his shoulder as she started walking towards the exit.

He caught up with her a moment later, matching her stride. She made a point not to look over at him. “I’ve already told you that this is a _promotion_ , Valerie.” His frustration was clear.

She froze in the middle of the hall, unconcerned with disrupting the flow of traffic. Not that anyone here would speak negatively to her. The fluorescent lighting accentuated the angry wrinkle of her face as she glared up at him.

“A promotion? In what world is sending me to _Amity Park_ a promotion?” She asked, voice sharp.

Eric frowned and gently reached out to pull her to the side so they weren’t taking up so much space. “It’s the headquarters of the Guys in White. This is a huge honor. Some people work their whole lives hoping to be transferred there.”

Valerie snorted at that and stepped around him. “Right.” She began walking away, and Eric once again fell into step beside her. “Well, as someone who worked so hard to leave, I can’t help but feel like I failed on some level.”

Eric sighed. “Look, Director Hayes asked for _you_. Not my best agent, not the "right guy for this job". He said he needed _Valerie Gray_. My hands were more than tied.”

Valerie rolled her eyes. “Right. He's not looking for an agent, he's just trying to send some kind of message.” They walked through the automatic doors and out to the parking lot. “Nevermind that I'm a human being with a life and aspirations outside of my childhood hometown.” She dug her keys out of her jacket pocket.

Eric exhaled, leaning against her car and staring at the bustling office they’d just exited. “I know, Val.” He spoke more casually now that he was out of the building. He lowered his voice a little as he spoke. “If I had even an inkling as to why...”

“You'd be able to help me,” Valerie finished, “Which is why you haven't been made privy to that information, I'm sure.” She leaned against her car, crossing her arms over her chest. Amity Park didn’t need another field agent. Not if Danny was still there. That thought gave Valerie pause, though she didn’t share with Eric. _Was_ Danny still in Amity?

“I really am sorry, you know,” Eric said, placing a hand on her shoulder, “Trust me, I didn’t want to send you away. You’re not just an agent, you’re my friend.” 

Valerie sighed. “Yeah, I do know. There’s just nothing for me there, not since my Dad left.”

Eric frowned. “You’re the most resilient person I know. You’ll be okay.” He was quiet for a moment. “By the way,” His mouth twitched slightly, “Would it be too much to ask for you to get Phantom to sign something for me?”

“You dick!” Valerie punched his arm as he laughed and did her best to stifle her own.

He rubbed his arm where she hit him, a smile still on his face. “We really are going to miss you, Gray.”

She sobered up, already feeling nostalgic for the life she’d grown to love. “I’m going to miss it here too.” She whispered, mostly to herself.

In only a few days, she’d be back in Amity Park as the Red Huntress.

And she was going to have to face Danny whether she wanted to or not.

* * *

Valerie didn’t like airports.

Actually, she didn’t like crowded places in general. She’d never vocalize it, but she always thought of them as heavy casualties waiting to happen.

Such was the thought process of a child warrior, she supposed.

She glanced down at her phone as she waited for her suitcase to appear on the baggage carousel, rereading the email she’d received the night before. Director Hayes wanted her to stop by that afternoon and had arranged for someone to pick her up from the airport and bring her there immediately.

She frowned at the text, already irritated from the flight. Just her luck, her new boss was uptight, almost definitely a control freak, and probably less than considerate of basic human needs, like a long shower after an early morning flight. 

Her bag appeared onto the carousel and Valerie strode forward to grab it before plopping it onto its wheels and ignoring the stares she received for her aggressive handling.

She shoved her phone into the deep pocket of her suit jacket and stomped forward towards the pickup area. It crossed her mind for a moment that she had no idea who it was that Hayes had sent to pick her up, but she figured whoever it was would be wearing the gaudy white suit she had grown accustomed to in her time working for the GiW. The one she wore herself, as much as she loathed to do so.

Valerie almost missed him in her search for said uniform. In fact, if he hadn’t called for her, she wouldn’t have noticed him.

After all, Danny Fenton was practically unrecognizable.

She openly gaped at the man before her. The first thing she noticed was that he was _tall_. And broad. And smiling at her. That was weird, right? She couldn’t exactly remember the state of their relationship when she left, but she was almost certain that it didn’t warrant a smile.

“Valerie!” His voice broke her out of her slight trance, and she was suddenly very aware of her frozen form and shocked expression. She was too fucking sleep deprived for this.

“Danny?” It came out of her mouth more as a question as he stepped forward and engulfed her shorter form in a hug. And she thought a smile was kind of strange.

She returned it hesitantly. It crossed her mind for a moment that this was some trick, or scheme, or maybe even a weird prank. The hug lasted for longer than she expected, and Danny held onto her tightly, like she might disappear otherwise.

He stepped back after a moment, hands on her arms as he grinned and began babbling excitedly. “It’s so good to see you, Valerie. Really. I can’t believe you’re here right now.”

She stared at him, unsure of how to respond. Everything about this interaction was confusing to her. “Uh… Ditto.” That was the best she could come up with. How embarrassing. In an effort to escape the awkwardness as much as possible, she rolled her suitcase in his direction, letting him take it from her. They made their way through the crowded airport terminal towards the parking lot.

“You look great, by the way,” He said, still grinning like an idiot.

Valerie snorted. “White is a flattering color. But don’t tell anyone I said that.” She reached back to try and shake out her hair a little bit, feeling where it had gone flat from leaning against the headrest. “You don’t look so bad yourself.” She forced herself to look forward and not at his arms, which were delightfully on display in his short-sleeve shirt.

Danny grinned at that as they walked outdoors. “Thank you, Val. I know it was probably hard for you to admit that.” It was beautiful out. Sunny, but with a slight breeze that kept it from getting too hot.

Valerie’s head snapped towards him, eyes narrowing. “I don’t know what you’re implying, Fenton.” She’d stopped dead in her tracks and he followed suit.

He winced. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be teasing you.”

She exhaled, already feeling terrible. Fucking Danny Fenton and his dumb, stupid kicked puppy routine. It worked on her every time. “No, no, it’s fine. I’m just tired from the flight,” she paused, “And surprised to see you, if I’m being honest.”

Danny frowned and cocked his head. “Hayes didn’t tell you I’d be picking you up? He was visibly pleased with himself when he told me you were transferring back here.”

She shook her head. Hayes set this up? What was his play?

Danny grit his teeth, making a noise of frustration. “How typical.”

Valerie raised a brow. “Is that resentment I hear?”

Danny began walking again, this time prompting Valerie to follow. “No. He just doesn’t do things the way I would. Nothing wrong with that.” His tone suggested he thought otherwise. Valerie couldn’t help her interest. She’d never seen Danny dislike anyone. Not even her when she was hunting him. 

Danny stopped next to his car, which was blue and otherwise pretty nondescript. He didn’t take after his parents then. He popped his trunk and placed her luggage inside.

“I’ve never seen you like this,” She admitted, mouth curling up into a smirk, “I don’t know if I’m nervous or intrigued.”

Danny rolled his eyes as he shut the truck and walked to the driver’s side of the car. “In my honest opinion, he doesn’t deserve either from you.” He ducked his head as he sat, and Valerie followed suit on the other side.

“I’m flattered,” she deadpanned. She leaned back in her seat, eyes sliding closed. “Why do you work for him then?”

Danny shrugged as he pulled out of the parking spot. “Well, it’s not so much working for him as working _with_ them.”

Valerie’s eyes snapped open again, her gaze landing on him. “As Phantom?”

He sighed heavily, still keeping his eyes on the road. “Yeah.” He glanced at Valerie out of the corner of his eye. “Hayes was at the pole.”

Valerie’s stare turned into a look of understanding. He had been there at the North Pole, when Danny had somehow saved them all and revealed his identity to the twenty humans present. They had all been sworn to secrecy, then left to somehow sit on the knowledge they now had like everything was normal. But it wasn’t, of course.

Danny shook his head as if he was forcing himself to stop thinking on it any further. “When he was promoted to Director he called me talking about how it was my civic duty to “help him help me”. I turned him down, of course.” His hands gripped the steering wheel tighter. “I didn’t need his help. I had you, kinda. Sam, Tuck, Jazz.”

Valerie frowned at that. After she found out she’d been hunting her ex-boyfriend, she was a mess of emotions. They were friends only by the barest definition of the word, and even then there was a lot left unsaid about the situation as a whole. They fought together though. Personal vendettas were always second place to their responsibilities to the town.

“Then,” he paused for a moment, “Then Jazz graduated and left. And then we graduated and Tucker left. And you left. And Sam… I _made_ her leave.” He shrugged. “Suddenly I needed the support.”

Valerie knew she didn’t owe Danny or Amity Park anything, not after all she’d sacrificed in high school. Yet she couldn’t help the guilt that curled deep in her gut. “You made Sam leave?” She asked, hoping to alleviate the emotion she was experiencing.

Danny laughed at that. “Absolutely. She was accepted to Columbia. It was her dream school. I wasn’t going to hold her back.” His posture was relaxed. There was obviously no regret in that decision. Valerie shifted slightly, mentally debating whether she was close enough to him to ask her next question.

“Why didn’t you go to college? I mean, the Guys in White used to be amateur, but they’ve gotten pretty good at what they do. Especially now that they’re getting funding. They probably could have handled it.”

Danny glanced at her again. “Maybe.” He frowned as he saw traffic ahead and began to gradually slow down. When he eased to a stop, he turned his gaze on Valerie fully. “Can I be honest with you, Val?”

“I'd prefer it, even."

He chuckled, though the sound lacked humor. Danny moved the car forward a few feet before stopping and meeting her eyes once again. “I can't... I can't leave. I mean, physically I _am_ capable, but I have no desire to leave Amity long term.” He shrugged. 

Valerie thought about it for a moment before nodding slowly. “Can _I_ be honest?"

"It's only fair."

“I’m a little surprised you wouldn't want to leave with Sam."

“Me too.” He admitted. "She was... I mean, my first love, obviously. I even thought she was my obsession, for a time. Then she told me about wanting to leave and I... I just didn't want to."

“That wasn't it though, was it? I imagine you at least attempted long distance.” Valerie hadn’t earned this level of honesty from him, she knew this. Yet she couldn’t stop the words falling out of her mouth. Daniel Fenton had always been disarming. The years apart had made her susceptible once again.

“We broke-up after a couple years of her being away.” He told her, unaware of her inner turmoil. “Believe it or not, it was probably the most human interaction we’ve had since the accident.” He grinned at Valerie. “No ghostly interference. Just good old-fashioned “we’re far away and want a chance to date other people” type stuff.”

Valerie nodded. “And how’s that been going?” She gave him a quick once over. “Pretty well, I imagine.” She felt her face grow warm immediately.

Danny snorted. “Are you checking me out Valerie Gray?” He cocked an eyebrow at her as traffic continued in its stop and go rhythm.

“In your dreams. I guess I’m just kind of amazed that scrawny Danny Fenton grew into this.” She made an offhand gesture at his person. He laughed openly at that.

“I would have been pissed otherwise, what with all the ghost-hunting. Not to mention how jacked evil me was.”

Valerie felt a chill run down her spine. The first time he had ever told her about that awful alternate timeline had been far more serious an interaction. Only days after she learned of his secret did he tell her the story, the sole purpose for doing so being that he wanted her to be prepared should the worst happen.

They had made a contingency plan together. She was pretty sure that drove a wedge between them as well, especially when he told her that he had chosen her to create said plan with because he wasn’t sure Sam or Tucker or his family could stop him if it came down to it. Danny noticed her lack of humor immediately, and a tense silence fell between them.

Finally, the traffic began to break up. “So when’s your stuff getting here?” Danny asked a moment later.

“Tomorrow afternoon, I believe.” She replied.

Danny was silent for a moment. “I was, uh, going to offer for you to stay at my place tonight. So it’s a little more comfortable. Unless you have a hotel already…”

Valerie swallowed. “I don’t have a hotel.” That wasn’t an answer. “I… If it wouldn’t be any trouble I guess.” Her gaze fell to her hands, which were twisting nervously in her lap.

“Not at all.” He glanced at her again. “I can even give you a tour of Fenton Works if you want, and we have the whole thing to ourselves since mom and dad got a new place.”

Valerie rolled her eyes, trying to play it cool. It was probably too late for that, but she could _try_. “Yeah, yeah. I think you’re just lonely in that big, old house,” she teased. 

Danny didn’t answer immediately as he took the exit that would lead them to Amity. “Well, you’re not _wrong_.” He shook his head slightly. “It’ll be great. You, me, maybe some alcohol, and ghost-hunting equipment.” He smiled over at her, as if laughing at how terrible an idea it was.

Valerie grinned at him, thinking the exact same thing. “What could possibly go wrong?”

* * *

The Amity Park branch of the Guys in White was located at the very edge of the town, far enough to be generally ignored, and close enough for quick response should Phantom need it. It was a plain-looking building. Unimpressive, easily overlooked.

The hallways stretched out in the same pattern of every other headquarters, and though Valerie did follow Danny towards Hayes’ office, she was almost certain she could have made it there herself. She had half-heartedly pulled her hair up into a ponytail in the car and applied fresh deodorant in an attempt to seem slightly less dishevelled.

Danny led her to the office - which was exactly where she thought it would be - and knocked on the door.

“Come in.” Said a voice from the other side. Valerie fixed her face into a mask of professionalism as Danny opened the door. He held it for her as she walked in moving to join her inside. Hayes spoke up at the action. “No need, Daniel. This will be short.”

Danny grumbled slightly at that, but nodded all the same. “I’ll be waiting right out here,” he said to Valerie.

“You’ll wait outside the building,” Hayes corrected, fixing Danny with a hard stare. “Wouldn’t want you overhearing.” Valerie looked between the two, surprised at the barely contained animosity. Interesting, interesting.

“You’re not my boss,” He retorted, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked a little intimidating, a fact that Valerie found equal parts humorous and unnerving. She’d seen him fight many enemies but couldn’t recollect him ever trying to look dangerous in any way.

“No,” Hayes began, standing from his place behind his desk, “But this is Guys in White business, and I have already overstepped in asking you to pick up one of my agents. You are only a consultant, and I don’t need your opinion on this.” He gestured towards Valerie as he moved to the front of the desk and leaned against it. “Goodbye, Daniel.”

Valerie watched as his jaw clenched in anger. His eyes were bright, but not quite glowing. Finally, she spoke. “Danny,” He turned his gaze to her, “It’s fine, I’ll meet you outside.”

He looked from her to Hayes before nodding sharply and exiting.

Hayes stared at Valerie and said nothing.

She quickly grew uncomfortable under his intense stare. “That was something…” She trailed off, not sure what to say next. Hayes remained silent for another moment or two before responding.

“My apologies, Huntress,” Hayes spoke, “Daniel has quiet footsteps, so I have to wait for a moment to make sure he’s gone. Of course, I’m sure you’ve noticed this… quirk of his.”

Valerie blinked at him for a moment before nodding slowly. 

The man stood straight suddenly, adjusting his suit jacket so it fell properly before offering Valerie his hand. “Allow me to formally introduce myself. William Hayes.”

She shook his large hand as she took him in. He was terribly broad, but not as tall as Danny. His dark skin was smooth and his head bald. Everything about him was pristine, the picture of a good agent. 

“Valerie Gray. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”

“Mmm, it ought to be me saying that to you.” The corner of his mouth quirked up into a smirk. “The infamous Red Huntress. I knew you were young, but seeing you in person… It’s humbling, to say the least.” He had an air of authority that Valerie couldn’t ignore, but he also had a lot of charm. She found herself relaxing ever so slightly at the compliment.

“Thanks, I guess.” Something whispered at the back of her mind: _You were so young. You were used. You didn’t want this._ She banished the thoughts as well as she could before speaking again. “Let’s get to it then. You wanted me here for a reason.”

Hayes smiled. “I like that. Right to the point. I’ll do the same then.” He moved behind his desk and sat once again. “You have a past with Phantom.”

She blinked at him a few times before schooling her face. She crossed her arms over her chest. “And what of it?” She asked.

Hayes leaned back in his chair, regarding her coolly. “I don’t mean to offend, Ms. Gray.”

“I’m not offended,” Valerie said, gaze hard, “I’m confused about what that has to do with anything.”

“I understand, Ms. Gray. Director Shoreson told me that you liked your position in Chicago. I only requested you be transferred here because all of our scientists agree: Daniel’s powers are expanding.” He paused. “He’s already easily one of the most powerful ghosts we’ve ever recorded.”

Valerie inhaled deeply at the news. She shouldn’t have been surprised. She’d watched him do impossible, incredible things at age 14. It stood to reason that he had room to grow. Still, hearing it out loud… apprehension sat heavily in her gut.

“I… Don’t think he’s going to hurt this town or anyone in it.” She was almost surprised at how much she believed this.

Hayes held up a hand. “I’m inclined to agree. But that sentiment doesn’t extend to anywhere else.” He met Valerie’s hard gaze unflinchingly. “He’s alone here, Valerie. Alone and incredibly powerful. The last thing we need is for him to get cabin fever.”

“I don’t understand my objective.” She interjected, “You want me here to keep him _entertained_?”

“I know how this might sound.” Hayes said, leaning forward at his next words “But ghosts tend to get the urge to extend their territory. Daniel is not just a ghost. But he’s not just a human, either.” He leaned back into his chair. “And from what I understand, you have always remembered that.”

Valerie frowned as his words sunk in. “So you think that me coming back - us rekindling our old friendship - will keep him satisfied?”

He didn't answer immediately. "It is not really of any consequence to me if you maintain a friendship with him. Just your presence should be sufficient."

"In keeping him here?"

“You know that it is instinctual for ghosts to work towards the improvement of their territory. You are a wildly talented ghost hunter. Powerful allies are always important when it comes to building great empires.” Hayes interlaced his fingers, allowing his hands to rest on the desk before him.

Valerie's eyes grew wide as she realized what he was getting at. "It's his _lair_."

Hayes raised a brow. "So you _are_ familiar with this concept?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm familiar," Valerie began slowly, thoughts running a mile a minute, “Let’s say this works. What happens in a few more years when I’m not enough anymore?” she asked.

Hayes hummed thoughtfully. “Well, that depends on whether he becomes violent or not. Valerie, I believe that you are the only one who can ground him to his humanity.”

Valerie snorted. “I think you have the wrong ex-girlfriend.”

Hayes chuckled softly at that. “I believe you are the only who can ground him to his humanity because you are the only one who remembers that he _isn’t_ human. The only one who can confront that in the way it should be confronted.”

Valerie stared at him for a moment. “I don’t know if this is going to work.”

“None of us do.” 

She considered that for a moment. A whole decade later and she was still working on the same mystery. How's that for irony? “I’ll try.” She wasn’t even sure what that looked like. She wasn’t sure how she was going to rebuild something that had been poisoned through half-truths and suspicion and secrecy but knowing that Danny was growing more powerful _scared_ her.

If she were being honest with herself, she more or less trusted Danny. But Danny had never shown much respect or fear for his ghostly abilities. He took them in stride, hardly worried about their implications. Maybe he could use a healthy dose of paranoia. 

Hayes grinned. “Once again, the Red Huntress is going to help save the world. How’s it feel?”

Valerie felt something warm bloom in her chest, making her stand up a little straighter. “Good,” she returned the smile, “It feels good.”


	2. Progress

“On a scale of one to ten, how willing are you to tell me what he said in there?” Danny asked as Valerie walked out the building. He was leaning against the wall, stance casual. Even so, Valerie could see the tension in his frame.

She turned towards him, cocking her hip and crossing her arms as she squinted against the sun. “Maybe a two.” She answered. He sighed and pushed off the wall, making his way towards his car. Valerie followed.

“That’s higher than I anticipated, actually.” His tone was more joking than anything. They came upon his vehicle.

Valerie chuckled as he unlocked it and they both settled into their respective seats. “What are you so worried about anyway,” Valerie asked, “It was boring, Danny.”

Danny gave her a disbelieving look. “I doubt that. I mean, I’d hope he explained why he brought you here in the first place. Because it’s… weird.”

She snorted. “Of course it’s weird.” She shook her head in frustration. “Look, I’m going to be staying in Amity for a while. Why don’t we just leave it at that?” 

Danny huffed in frustration. “So you do know why. But you won’t tell me.”

Valerie rolled her eyes, straightening up in her seat. “No, Danny. Mostly because you don’t pay me. And also because it’s really not as convoluted as you think it is.”

He stared at her, lips set in a frown. “That makes me wonder what he’s keeping from _you_. I’ve never known Hayes to go the straight-forward route.” They sat in silence for a few seconds.

Valerie spoke, suddenly. “You know what? I was just thinking the same about you.” She looked him in his eyes, trying to convey how serious she was about this in a look. “You’ve kept your fair share of secrets from me yourself, Danny. Don’t you forget that.”

He glanced out the windshield, bottom lip held between his teeth. His gaze returned to Valerie. “I know.” He said finally. He started the car, and right before he pulled out of the spot, he fixed her with an intense stare of his own. “I know that I didn’t always give you a fair shake either. But I don’t want things to be like that this time. If you want to know something about me, all you have to do is ask.”

He turned away from her and began driving. She watched him for a minute or two, debating how much she believed that. Of course, there really was only one way to find out. “You won’t leave Amity because it’s your lair.”

He stiffened immediately at that. It was as good an answer as anything. “I’ve… Considered that.”

“But you can’t prove it.”

He shook his head. “No.”

The revelation had not become any less overwhelming than it had been in Hayes’ office. He was, for all intents and purposes, trapped there. And he wouldn’t be able to see it that way, no matter what, because it was beyond him to imagine going anywhere else. Her heart almost ached for him. He hadn’t been able to make a decision without the influence of his ghost half since he was a literal child.

“Danny…” she saw his eyes cut over to her for a moment before returning to the road in front of them, “Thank you. For being honest.”

He took a deep breath. “I want it to _work_ , Val.”

She nodded, more for her own benefit than his. “Yeah. Me too.”

Valerie felt something fizzling in the air between them, something she couldn’t explain. There was tension, yet there was release in some strange way. A sort of openness that hadn’t been there when they were kids.

It was different, certainly, but not bad. Valerie turned to stare out of the window.

They were quiet for the ride into town.

* * *

Fenton Works was delightfully familiar in a town that had grown so much since Valerie had last been there. It appeared as it always had, and Valerie couldn’t stifle a chuckle when she noticed the Fenton RV in the driveway.

“I’m surprised you still have that thing,” She said, grin stretching across her face. Danny parked and smirked at her.

“Actually, it’s not mine. Mom and Dad still drive it.”

Valerie’s smile disappeared in an instant. “Wait… So?”

Danny’s smile was mischievous. “You didn’t _really_ think you were going to get away with not seeing them today, did you?”

While Valerie and Danny had their issues back in high school, his parents absolutely _adored_ her.

Valerie groaned. Almost as if on cue, Jack and Maddie Fenton burst from the front door, clad in their usual jumpsuits.

“VALERIE!” They called in unison. She spared one more glance at Danny, who was positively _basking_ in her misery, before fixing a smile to her face.

She got out of the car. “Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton.” They rushed up to her, both pulling her in for a hug. She returned it, smile growing a little more genuine. Really, it was kind of inspiring, the way they acted as something of a single entity, perfectly in tune.

“Oh, Valerie,” Maddie started, pulling away, “It’s wonderful to see you! We’ve kept up with the Red Huntress’ work, of course. You’re doing big things.” She said, beaming as she gave the younger woman a quick once over, assessing her health in an instant the way she imagined her mother would’ve.

“I’ll say!” Jack added. He put his hands on his hips and puffed out his massive chest. “You’ve taken to our tech well. It’s been selling like hotcakes, thanks to you!”

After Danny’s reveal, the Fenton’s decided that they could be a greater help to Danny by doing something other than trying to join the fight. They started putting far more time and effort into their inventing, and if the world didn’t know they were truly brilliant before, they did after Fenton Works began producing more and more in the area of ghost containment.

They were practically a household name, and it wasn’t strange for those living in larger cities to own some manner of ghost protection, from shields to thermoses. They had apparently surprised Danny when he was 22, deciding to go build a bigger and better Fenton Works on the edge of the town and leaving the original for him, so he could continue to be close to the portal.

Valerie smiled. “I’m glad, but hey, you guys kept sending me great stuff, so it really it’s no problem.” The Fenton’s, more out of their love for her than any misplaced marketing exploits, had been sending her equipment since she was in college, customized in her signature red and black. In return, she was more than happy to recommend them privately and personally. They’d even signed a couple of contracts with the Guys in White, thanks to her.

“Alright mom, dad. Valerie is exhausted and kind of smells.” He joked. “She’s moving to Amity, so you have plenty of time to bother her _later_.” Danny reminded as he pulled Valerie’s luggage from the trunk.

“Oh come on, Danny!” Jack said, placing a hand on Maddie’s shoulder. “We’ve got so many ghost hunting stories to catch up on.”

Maddie placed a hand over her husband’s. “Which we can do later, Jack. Danny wants some time to catch up with her too.” She began pulling him gently towards the Fenton RV. “I left some cookies on the counter for you!” She called. Jack huffed in disappointment but otherwise complied. He made his way back to their monstrous car, but Maddie walked up to Valerie, grabbing one of her hands and giving it a squeeze. “If you need anything, dear, don’t hesitate to ask us. We’re family.” 

Danny came up beside Valerie, who was a little wide-eyed. “She knows, mom.” He gave her a meaningful look before his eyes cut over to the van. “We’ll see you later.” 

Maddie grinned, looking like she was in on some grand secret before reaching up to press her palm to Danny’s cheek. “Of course. Love you, dear.” 

His expression softened. “Love you too, mom.” With that, she stepped away, joining Jack in their car and offering the duo a wave. 

“Bye Mr. and Mrs. Fenton.” Valerie said, waving as they drove off, tires squealing slightly as Jack took a turn too quickly. There was a warmth in her chest that surprised her. She didn’t know if Danny had never explained to them the complicated nature of her relationship with their son or if he had and they’d decided that was for the two of them to work out. “That wasn’t so bad.” She said to Danny as she grabbed her carry on from the front seat and followed him inside.

“Only because I called before I picked you up and begged mom to go easy on you.” He replied, closing the front door behind them. “You’re welcome, by the way.” He said as he carried her luggage to the guest room. She followed him.

“Yeah, yeah,” she said, chuckling, “Thanks.”

He set her suitcase on the bed. “Alright, here it is.” He moved to the doorway, leaning against it casually as ever. “I sleep right across the hall,” He pointed to the door to his room, “And you remember where the bathroom is, right?”

Valerie nodded.

“Awesome. Feel free to shower and settle in and I’ll be downstairs if you need me.” He said, turning to leave the room.

“Wait!” Valerie called, the word bubbling out of her unbidden. He paused, turning back to look at her. “I really do, uh, appreciate this. You were kind of roped into this whole situation and-”

Danny held up a hand. “I’m gonna stop you right there. Hayes didn’t force me to do any of this. I _wanted_ to.”

She cocked her head to the side. “I guess I just don’t really understand why.”

He gave her an easy grin, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Because I like you, duh. And I missed you.”

Valerie felt her face grow warm at the casual admission. “I’m more likeable now then I used to be, anyway.”

He waved a hand at her, dismissing her words. “Nah, you’ve always been pretty great. I wouldn’t have dated you, then pined for you after we broke up, if I didn’t think that.” 

“I thought it was Technus that orchestrated that whole relationship?” 

“He definitely had a hand in some of the dates,” Danny admitted, “but my feelings were real.” He shrugged. When it was obvious Valerie didn’t have an answer for that, he offered her another easy smile. “I’ll let you get to it then.” With that, he left. 

Valerie exhaled heavily, plopping down onto the bed. She let her eyes drift shut for a moment before remembering she was under strict instructions to call her dad as soon as she had a free moment. She dug her phone out from her pocket, tapping his name in her recents. He answered quickly.

“Hey there, Baby Girl!” His warm voice and pet name immediately put her at ease. “How was your flight?”

She smiled, even though he couldn’t see her. “Hi, Daddy. It was fine. Met my boss today.”

“Ah, how was he?”

She sighed, flopping backwards. “He seemed nice enough, I guess. I found out why he wants me here. Eh, more or less.”

“Oh?”

“…It’s Phantom.”

“Oh.” His voice grew stony. While Valerie eventually got the full explanation from Danny about what happened in her dad’s lab that fateful night, her father wasn’t so lucky. “Why is that? He’s not… threatening the town, is he? Please be careful, Valerie.”

“I’m fine, Dad,” she said, trying to calm him, “It’s just a precaution.”

“A precaution? Valerie, you’re one person. What could you do that the rest of the Guys in White can’t?”

“Honestly, I don’t really know.” she knew what Hayes _thought_ she could do, but she couldn’t explain the nuances of her relationship with Danny to her father, especially since he wasn’t privy to Danny’s double life, “I know you don’t like this, dad, but there’s nothing I can do without losing my job.”

“Maybe you ought to look for a different one then. What about the Fentons? You work with them already, don’t you?”

The irony almost made her laugh. “They send me weapons sometimes,” she said, correcting him, “and I use them as Red Huntress. It’s basically product placement.”

“I still think you should talk to them. Last I heard they’re doing pretty well for themselves.” He was quiet for a moment. “Could you at least consider looking for something else? For your old man’s sanity?”

Valerie sighed. “I’ll be fine, dad.” She was quiet for a moment. “I saw Danny today too.”

“Oh?” His voice brightened. When Danny and Valerie began ‘hanging out’ after his reveal, her dad had immediately taken to him. Danny was not particularly charming when they were teenagers, but something about her father of all people brought it out of him. “I didn’t realize he still lived out there.” 

She rolled her eyes freely. “Yeah, same house and all. His parents gave it to him.” 

“No kidding? Well, how about that. Are you two going to meet up sometime soon?” 

“Uh, actually he’s letting me crash here until my apartment is situated.” She cringed. He hadn’t known they’d dated for a short time, but her father had consistently made little comments about the two of them when they were teenagers. 

“That’s awfully nice of him,” she could hear the teasing note in his voice, “he always was a _good friend_ of yours.” She did NOT like that tone.

“Yeah, sure,” her tone was clipped, “I’ve got to go, Dad. Need a shower badly.”

His chuckle was warm. “Right, right. I love you, sweetheart.”

“I love you too. I’ll talk to you later.” Valerie waited for her father to say his goodbye before hanging up. She stared at her phone for a moment before groaning and tossing it onto the bedside table in frustration.

She considered shutting her eyes and drifting off, if only to get away from her thoughts for a little while. Instead, she made one more noise of frustration before rising and digging through her suitcase for some clean clothes.

Danny had mentioned alcohol earlier, and though she was a little wary about drinking with her oldest frenemy, she couldn’t deny that that thought of numbing her brain sounded a little too appealing to pass up.

It was one night, anyway. They couldn’t possibly fuck anything up worse in one night.

Right?

* * *

Freshly showered and clothed in some jeans and a T-shirt, Valerie made her way down to the basement, plate of cookies in hand. Danny was sitting on a stool next to a workshop table, bent over a pile of wires and various ecto-gun parts Valerie almost recognized. An ancient-looking radio sat at the edge of the table, where it was quietly playing music from a static-y classic rock station.

Valerie simply watched him for a moment. He was so engrossed in his work that he didn’t seem to notice her presence, a thought she found kind of funny considering that he moonlighted as a sort of superhero. She’d never seen him like this before.

“Hey,” She said, announcing her presence, “I didn’t know that you knew how to do stuff like this.” She nodded towards the parts on the table. “Or that your mom could bake.” She bit into her second cookie, placing the plate in an empty space.

Danny sat up, groaning slightly as he straightened out his spine. “Yeah,” He said, glancing down at his work as he grabbed a cookie, “Mom and Dad started teaching me in high school. Said it might be useful to understand the kind of stuff that can hurt me.” He shrugged, biting into his snack.

Valerie hummed. “You know, you could probably get some kind of trade certification in a couple years if you go in with that kind of knowledge.” She hopped up onto the other stool across the table from him.

“Why do you want me to go to school so bad?” Danny asked, tone light and genuine. Valerie shrugged and picked up a nearby wire, pretending to inspect it closely so she didn’t have to meet his gaze.

“I don’t know. It’s not fair that the rest of us got to have kind of a normal college experience.” She answered, fiddling with the wire in her hand.

Danny snorted. “Maybe to you. It doesn’t bother me so much, honestly. I never liked school anyway.” He answered as he went back to work. Valerie began watching him again, bemused. She should’ve expected that answer, she supposed. She’d hated that a normal high school experience had been ripped away from her, and she had sort of assumed they had that in common.

“Do you ever resent it?”

“Hmm?” Danny asked, slightly distracted.

“The ghost thing. All of it.”

Danny stopped what he was doing and looked up at her, then past her at the thick steel doors that hid the entrance of the portal. “Sometimes.” He replied. Then he looked back at Valerie, smile on his face. “But I found my peace with it all a while ago. I mean, it’s been ten years now. I don’t know if I would’ve liked my life any better if this hadn’t happened.” He shrugged. “You can’t miss what you never had.”

“I guess that’s why it wasn’t so easy for me.” Valerie hadn’t meant to sound like she wanted his pity. 

He frowned, head tilting to the side as he absorbed her words. “I forgot how different your life was before I,” He winced, “Messed it up. I don’t regret getting my powers, but I hate how much damage I did when I was still starting out. I remember being kind of mad at you sometimes because I couldn’t understand why you hated me. I thought it was obvious I was the good guy. I thought you kind of appreciated becoming the Red Huntress.” He looked away as he admitted this to her, shame coloring his tone.

She was surprised at his words. Not that he’d felt that way - after all, if there was one thing she knew back then, it was that Danny Fenton was a selfish prick – but that he was telling her about it now. It felt like a second apology. A much better one than she’d gotten all those years ago.

“You’re forgiven,” she said, smirk playing at her lips, “Again.”

“I’m not sure if I’ll ever deserve that from you,” he smiled back, “But I appreciate it.”

Valerie hummed in acknowledgement and rose from her seat to explore the lab. Danny dropped his gaze back to the project before him.

They were quiet for a moment, the only sounds coming from the radio, Danny’s continued tinkering, and the gentle whirring of several machines in the lab.

Valerie peered at the readouts of a couple of the machines, though she had no idea what they meant. Her hands skimmed over some of the devices on one of the unoccupied worktables, coming to rest on an ecto-gun. She picked it up, recognizing it immediately. The Fentons had sent her one of these a few years back. She made sure the safety was on before playing around with it a little, feeling the cold weight in her palms, resting her finger on the trigger and peering down the barrel.

She aimed at one of the rivets on the portal. Her gaze traveled downwards towards the opening. After a moment, she set the weapon down and walked around the table, moving closer to one of the only stable entrances to the Ghost Zone in the whole world. When was the last time she’d gotten so close without going through it?

She noticed the cold it emanated immediately. It made sense, she supposed as she moved closer and closer to the portal. She raised her hand, easing her fingers towards the thick door slowly, feeling the familiar static. She had used this portal to travel to the Ghost Zone with Danny many times in their youth, but she hadn’t been in the alternate dimension in a long time. Danny made a noise of frustration behind her, and she turned away from the portal to look at him.

“Alright,” He said, standing and tossing the screwdriver in his hand onto the work table, “I’m over this.” He looked towards Valerie “You up for some flying?” He asked, mischievous smile already in place.

Valerie nodded, and with a parting glance to the rift behind her, she followed him upstairs.

* * *

There truly wasn’t anything quite like soaring high above the town, hands gently skimming the clouds and wind blowing the hair from her face. She had a lot of complex feelings about becoming the Red Huntress, but _this…_ Flying was one thing she never regretted.

Danny had gotten faster, she noticed. He didn’t bother asking for a race he knew he would win. He would shoot ahead of her, almost out of her line of sight in an instant, then pause for a moment, allowing her to catch up slightly before twisting up through the air and literally flying circles around her.

She found herself laughing along with him, mesmerized by his grace and energized by his enthusiasm. Occasionally she would dip suddenly or crouch so she could grab onto her board before performing dizzying rolls and loops.

Most of the time though, Valerie just watched. While she was glad for Danny’s jovial spirit, she couldn’t help the wariness that crept within her. Hayes hadn’t at all been exaggerating when he said Danny’s powers had expanded.

Speed aside, he absolutely _radiated_ power, his glow extending further than she ever remembered. His eyes were piercing before, but they burned a special kind of fire now. They were light, when he glanced at her, playful, but Valerie refused to ignore the silent threat within them, the promise that his core was bright and rippling with strength.

It was terrifying and fascinating, all at the same time. Valerie knew that Hayes’s scientists were right. She didn’t need to crunch the numbers to realize that Danny was different now. More self-assured, probably much better at hunting ghosts, and almost certainly capable of wiping out a city, if he were so inclined. 

“C’mon,” Danny called over the wind that whipped past them, “I know the perfect place.” His words would have been lost if not for Valerie’s special “hearing aids”; designed by the Fentons to dilute wind noise and enhance everything else, giving her the ability to keep an ear out for danger even at high speeds.

She nodded in response and angled her body to push her sled forward even faster. Danny made sure not to get too far ahead of her, managing to more or less match her pace. Finally, he slowed down and the duo stopped at the peak of the large hill that overlooked Amity. Valerie hovered a few feet off the ground before disengaging her suit. She absorbed the impact of her short fall with the grace of someone who’s done it a million times.

Danny powered down as well, he too landing easily. They stood next to each other, silent as they observed the town they had spent so much of their lives protecting.

“Makes you think, doesn’t it?” He asked as he plopped down onto the grass. He pulled a silver flask from his pocket, looking at Valerie and waving it gently, grin plastered across his face. She smiled back and joined him on the ground.

“What?” She asked, hoping for clarification. Danny took a sip from the flask before passing it to Valerie.

“Looking at Amity like this. It gives what we do… perspective.” He answered. She drank from the flask, pleasantly surprised by the smooth whiskey, though she couldn’t help the way her face scrunched up at the taste. She looked over to see Danny chuckling at her reaction.

She gave him a light shove. “Don’t laugh. I don’t drink that often.” She admitted, passing the flask back over to him. She thought about his previous question for a moment before answering. “I think I know what you mean.” She leaned back, looking out over the city. “Makes it all seem kind of… Far away.” In the literal sense, of course. But more figuratively, she knew that being physically distant from the city she’d grown up defending made the traumatic events that took place there feel smaller. Less painful. She didn’t have to explain any of that, of course. Danny knew.

He hummed in agreement. “You know, I have _wanted_ to leave before,” he admitted, “but I just feel like I’m part of this place. I know, I guess, that it’s probably got something to do with being half-ghost. But I like to imagine I actually like it here too.”

She considered that for a moment. “You’re a fucking _case_ , Fenton.”

He laughed at that. “No kidding.” He leaned back onto his elbows, long legs stretching out before him. “But I guess I was kind of a weirdo before I stopped being fully human.” He said, tone light and joking.

“Does that bother you? Not being human?” She asked.

Danny shrugged, eyes still on the skyline. “Less than before.”

“Before?”

“When I was younger,” he explained, “It would literally keep me up at night sometimes. I mean, humanity is something that feels so obvious to us. Like… We’re human because we _are_ , you know? It’s science. But after the portal I needed more than a genetic code to prove it to myself.” He huffed out a laugh. “I’m sure this doesn’t make any sense.”

“I think it does,” she said, shrugging. “I don’t think I’ll ever _understand_ , but I get what you mean.” She was quiet for a moment. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

“It’s alright,” he paused to take another swig, “I guess I just stopped overthinking it. I mean… I still perceive myself as human when I am. I’m human right now, talking to you, getting buzzed.”

“And when you’re not?”

He thought about it for a moment. “I guess… I guess I imagine myself as a ghost with all my humanity still intact. I mean, I can remember what it feels like to emote in more ways than one. I remember warmth. I grow up and change…” He trailed off, looking back at the skyline.

Valerie felt a chill run up her spine. “I never thought that much about being a ghost. I mean, I’ve always just fought them. It’s… It’s really sad.”

He nodded. “It is. I try to be more understanding nowadays. Talk to them. They truly can’t help what they do, and because of that I _have_ to stop them, but… I don’t know. It’s not like being Superman, beating up bad guys. I feel bad for them. I wish I could save them too, but I can’t.”

Valerie felt her chest squeeze as she looked over at him. She could see that his eyes had become glassy as he spoke to her. She couldn’t believe how different he was, though it shouldn’t have surprised her.

“Are you happy here?” She asked. The question was dangerously double-edged, in her opinion. Danny thought of her as a friend, and he’d likely think nothing much of the question. And to her credit, Valerie kind of _wanted_ to know in a friendly way.

But old habits die hard. She couldn’t help herself from constantly analyzing his words and his actions. She’d deal with her guilt over that later, she supposed.

Danny looked at her. “If I say this, you can’t laugh, okay? I know it’s cheesy.” He took a long drink from the flask and passed it to her again. “I don’t really know the last time I’ve been happy. I _am_ happy, sometimes, but mostly I’m just… going through the motions.” He was quiet, brows pulled together. “I am lonely, though.” He admitted. 

She could kind of relate to that. It wasn’t until then, as they talked about things that so very few people could understand, that she realized she’d been kind of lonely too, despite having made many new friends in her time away.

She downed more of the liquor than she expected to at the soft revelation. “You’re not alone now.” She said, coughing a little at the larger than expected shot. _I’m not alone anymore either._

Danny gave her a look somewhere between amusement and concern. “You alright?” She nodded after a moment. He took the flask from her and slid it into his pocket. “I’m really glad you’re here. Even though you didn’t want to be.”

“It wasn’t… Because of you.” 

He raised a brow at her. “Not _just_ because of me.”

She swallowed hard. “I… We weren’t… Things were really complicated when I left.” She said, clearly uncomfortable as she averted her gaze but not wanting to lie to him. Not after all the things he’d told her. The whiskey had probably loosened her lips as well. Distantly she wondered if that was intentional on his part.

He looked away again, expression still downcast. “Yeah, I know.” He looked back up at her. “I never hated you. Not even when we were at our worst.”

Valerie rolled her eyes. “How noble of you.” Irritation was a much safer emotion. Experiencing it felt like the moment when she activated her armor.

Danny sat up suddenly, eyes bright. “Don’t do that,” he said, voice hard, “You always brush these things off. I _tried_ , Val. You were just so determined to be right about me that you didn’t care. I’m not a bad guy. I’ve made mistakes, but _never_ with the intention of hurting you.”

Valerie blinked at him, leaning back slightly in alarm. Danny noticed the move and winced.

“Shit. I’m sorry,” he put another few inches between them, “I didn’t mean to… I’m sorry.” 

How long had he’d been waiting to tell her that? Up until then, he’d gladly taken all the blame for the way things had gone down before. He was right, though. She knew that much. Of course, self-awareness was one thing, but hearing it out loud was different. It felt more real then, more substantial. She’d hurt him. He cared about her enough that she _could_ hurt him.

She relaxed a moment later. “No,” she began, expression growing stern, “ _I’m_ sorry, Danny. I didn’t know you felt that way.” She exhaled slowly. “You’re right. You were… the easiest scapegoat for all of my problems, even the ones you didn’t cause. That was unfair of me.” The admission was probably worth more than the apology, for him. She was not in the habit of admitting when she was wrong.

He stared for a moment, long enough for her to wonder if it was really _that_ shocking, before smiling at her. “Apology accepted. Thank you… For that.”

Valerie felt it again: the warmth that had filled her chest earlier when she spoke with the Fentons. In many ways, this was what she’d feared. Letting her guard down. Taking this mission a step further than it strictly needed to go. Remembering how good it felt to have another person who just kind of got it. 

Danny had betrayed her so profoundly by keeping his secrets and letting her… Letting her _hunt_ him, letting her _hurt_ him, again and again. Not considering how it would feel if she’d been successful. The guilt had been tangible enough for her to choke on. 

And she was setting him up perfectly to do it again. 

Still, when he reached over to give her a hug, she allowed him. She squeezed her eyes shut and held on and enjoyed it, already knowing she’d made a mistake. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all again for the comments on chapter one!
> 
> This is probably the last chapter that's going to closely follow the original. The concept of the story is the same, of course, but the methods by which I tell this particular tale has evolved a lot. I'm REALLY excited about the changes I've come up with.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy! 
> 
> BTW, I'm on Tumblr as Frotesque, so if you're ever itching for more discussion you can find me there.


	3. Co-Conspirators

Valerie wouldn’t really consider herself someone who could be domestic. 

She had a roommate her freshman year of college, who she really didn’t see that often because they both had busy schedules, and her sophomore year was when she’d begun getting courted by the GiW. While Danny’s secret identity was protected by several thankful world governments, her’s was pretty much fair game.

As such, she was prime for being recruited into a ghost hunting organization, and the Guys in White was the largest and most well connected of them. She couldn’t fully join until she’d graduated, but in the meantime she worked with them as a consultant, probably much like Danny did, and they paid her pretty well for it. 

That is to say, she could afford to get her own place and took advantage. She didn’t know the intricacies of living with another person, so she was surprised to find Danny in the kitchen that morning, making a batch of pancakes big enough for two. Or so she hoped. 

“Voracious appetite you’ve got there,” she said in lieu of greeting. 

Danny chuckled at her words before using a spatula to take the rest of the pancakes out of the pan and turn off the heat. “Yes, Val, some of these are for you.” He used the tool to point over at a half-full coffee pot. “You can help yourself to some of that too. I’ve got sugar and milk if you need it.” 

There was already a mug sitting out by it, one she recognized from many late nights trying to help each other finish homework as teenagers. “You know I take it black.” Just like him. 

He gave her a cheeky grin. “Yeah, I do.”

She poured the cup as he bustled about the kitchen, putting the serving platter, silverware, and plates on the table. It occurred to Valerie that she hadn’t eaten a home-cooked meal with anyone in a while. Probably months. 

He turned to her as he finished setting the table, noticing her staring immediately. He raised a brow. “Everything okay?” 

She gave an awkward chuckle as she shuffled past him to her seat. “Yeah. Just lost in thought.”

He sat down across from her. “About going to work today?”

Valerie took the out gracefully. “Mmhm. Interested in getting to know Hayes more, for sure.”

“I hate to admit it, but he _is_ good at his job. He’s helped me out of a few sticky situations over the past few years,” Danny said, “He gets kind of intense, though. When he wants something done…” he trailed off, shaking his head.

Valerie hummed in thought. “Sounds like me.”

Danny snorted. “Yeah, a little bit. But you’ve always faced your problems head-on. Literally. Hayes _uses_ others.”

“He’s the director,” Valerie said, raising a brow, “that’s his job.”

Danny rolled his eyes. “I know, I know.” He sighed dramatically, propping his head on his hand. “I just miss the days where we did everything on our own terms. No hidden agendas.” 

“I think most people would be glad the city’s defenders are no longer a bunch of teenagers completely lacking supervision by anyone with a fully developed brain.” 

Danny grinned. “Hey, we did alright.”

Valerie tried, probably unsuccessfully, to hide her smile with her coffee mug. “There are property owners who would disagree.”

Danny laughed at that. “Oh, definitely.” He took a sip from his own mug. “By the way, I think you should know that I figured out why Hayes made you move here.”

Valerie raised a skeptical brow. “Is that so?”

He took his time in answering, placing his coffee mug back on the table and straightening his spine. “It’s about me.”

Valerie snorted, using her fork to cut her pancake, “Nice to know your ego is intact after all these years.” 

Danny held up a hand. “I know how it sounds.” 

Valerie swallowed her bite before responding. “You know, he might’ve just wanted another hunter in the area.” 

Danny pursed his lips, visibly trying to choose his next words carefully. “He made _you_ move here,” He raised his brows, “of all the hunters he could’ve picked, he chose _you_. When he told me…” His gaze dropped to the table, as if looking for his next words there, “It didn’t make sense, him telling me. Him asking me to pick you up. It’s so… out of the bounds of the agreement I have with him. It was personal. He knew it. He could see it all over my face.”

Valerie inhaled deeply. She didn’t really know how much Hayes wanted Danny to know about the reason he’d brought her back to Amity. She also didn’t know if his plan would work if Danny didn’t trust her. “Why do you think he’d do that, then? Ask you to pick me up, I mean.” 

Danny was looking at her again; his stare intense. “He wanted to see how I’d react,” he began, speaking slowly as though he was thinking it out even as he said it, “he wanted to see if I’d do it. Then he sent me away when we got there because he wanted to know what you were thinking when you knew I couldn’t hear.” 

Valerie wove her fingers together and rested her chin on them. Their breakfast sat, barely touched, growing cold. “That’s insightful of you.”

He sat back, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m right then.” 

“About that?” She shrugged. “Probably. But do you know why it _matters_?”

“Why what matters?” 

“What I think of you? Or what you think of me?” 

He was quiet, pensive. “Not really, no.” He huffed in frustration. “And I’m sure you have your reasons for not wanting to tell me, but Val,” he gave her a pleading look, “I can’t… Whatever it is I can’t help you unless I know how. You have to know that after everything between us, the last thing I want is for us to be on opposite sides.” 

Valerie was taken aback by the emotion in his words, trying to process everything that implied and come up with a half-decent answer. It struck her, in that moment, that she had no real reasons NOT to tell him. She hadn’t yesterday because it felt a little conter-productive to her mission for him to know, but it was beginning to seem like it would be worse if he didn’t. 

“Danny…” She groaned, covering her face with her hands, “Fuck. Sorry.” She allowed herself a moment to take a deep breath, pressing the heel of her hands to her eyes before dropping her hands to lie listlessly on the table. 

His gaze was soft as he reached over and grabbed her hand. “Val. It’s okay. You don’t have to.” He sounded resigned. 

Valerie looked down at their hands as she spoke. “He knows about Amity being your lair.”

He nodded, doing a decent job at hiding his surprise over her telling him. “I figured, when you asked me in the car. So what?” 

Her eyes snapped up to meet his. “You haven’t thought about the implications of that?”

“I mean, sure,” she was certain that if the conversation was lighter, he’d have rolled his eyes at her, “but the only way that it’s manifested is in me wanting to stay here. So who cares?” 

“Are you sure about that?” She asked. 

“Is that all this was about?” 

Valerie frowned at him. “Danny.”

”Sorry, sorry.” He shrugged. “I mean, I haven’t even once considered conquering the rest of Illinois, so.” 

Valerie bit her lip. He was telling the truth. Danny was, ironically enough, a pretty bad liar. If it hadn’t been that his alter ego was a ghost, he would've been found out a long time ago. But Danny was alive and Phantom wasn’t, so uncanny resemblance aside, they couldn't be the same person.

“Hayes isn’t so convinced.” 

Danny’s jaw clenched. “So he up-rooted your life…”

“To prevent that. Or to stop you. Whichever,” She told him. Her tone was even, just stating the facts. 

“Valerie,” he paused, closing his eyes and taking a deep, _deep_ breath, “I’m so… I am so _sorry_.” When he opened his eyes again, there was a watery shine to them. “There has to be something I can do to convince him this isn’t necessary.”

Valerie squeezed his hand. “Look, Danny. I appreciate that. Seriously. But this isn’t really your fault, much less something you need to go out and fix. Hayes made the choice to bring me here. I chose to follow the order. And it’s worked out fine, so far.” 

His gaze was so open she almost wanted to look away. In a way it felt forbidden to see Danny like this, even after everything that had happened yesterday. 

“Yeah, well. Day’s still young.” If it were anyone else it might’ve been the wrong time for that particular joke, but Valerie had always found him pretty funny. 

She grinned. 

* * *

The Guys in White organization was a beast of consistency. Valerie had worked at three separate GiW facilities in her time under them, and they were all almost eerily similar, right down to the layout of the buildings; labs in the south wing, holding cells in the east wing, business and administration in the north wing, and equipment and training in the west.

Scale was usually the only difference between Headquarters, and though she could tell that this one was just like the others, the sheer size of it left her feeling a little lost. Hayes had met her at the door upon entering and handed her a manila folder labeled “Phantom”.

“Follow me. I’ll take you to your office.”

She looked down at the folder in her hand before looking up at him. “Good morning to you too.” She opened it as she fell into step beside him, skimming the contents. Reading about Danny’s powers from a scientific standpoint was unusual. It crossed her mind that even if there was something significantly new or different from their teenage years, she probably wouldn’t recognize it written in such a way. 

“The information for your new apartment will be in your office.”

“Is this all you have on him?” Valerie asked, raising the folder in her hands. 

Hayes looked over at her for a brief moment. “Part of our agreement is that _he_ determines what information he discloses to us about himself.” He didn’t sound happy about the fact. 

“No, no. I meant: this is the only way you’ve been building your file on him? This is all numbers: power levels, heart rate, ambient radiation. No psychological profile? Or behavioral studies?” She flipped the file shut, waving it a little as she spoke. “I mean, the data is interesting but I’m no scientist. This doesn’t mean anything to me.” 

Hayes’ expression was unchanged, neutral as ever, but there was a tightness in the corners of his eyes that might have been irritation. “Again, Phantom chooses what information to provide us.”

Valerie resisted rolling her eyes, lest she piss off her boss more than she had already. “That’s fine, but psychologists can work observationally as well.” She shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I’m just confused. How am I supposed to recognize a declining mental state? Or unusual behaviors? I haven’t seen Danny in a decade.” 

Hayes was quiet as he pondered that. “I will assign some of our doctors to reviewing our material on Phantom and creating a profile for him.” He stopped in front of a door, which she assumed was her new office. “Your insight is already proving valuable.”

There was silence as they regarded each other. 

“We are on the same page as to what I’m doing here, right?” Valerie asked. 

Hayes didn’t respond immediately. “I was a ghost hunter myself before I became director,” he began, “and I have found it… difficult, in many ways, to decide how to proceed when it comes to Phantom. Only you and I know the ways in which he is unique, and as such I find it imperative that we help each other determine the best way to sustain the relationship between himself and this organization.”

“Right. Thank you for your honesty, Director,” Valerie began, taking a step into the office, “I’m looking forward to reading the psych profile.”

His lip twitched, almost a smirk. “As am I, Huntress.” With that, he walked away. Valerie watched him go, mind whirling as she considered the conversation.

After he turned the corner, she exhaled heavily, leaning against the doorframe. She’d known returning would be complicated, in some ways, but she would have never imagined becoming a player in a game like this. That was probably naive of her.

Her phone chimed. She glanced down to see that Danny had texted her and read it as she walked fully into her office.

 _Wanna meet up for lunch?_

_I was going to check out my new place._

_Still have to eat. I’ll bring it to you._

She almost smiled as she texted him her lunch hour and the address she’d already memorized in preparation for her move. He offered to pick her up, which she accepted. When they were in high school, many of their hang-outs doubled as an opportunity to make sure the other had eaten at least once that day and occasionally a way to determine who needed a break with ghost hunting for a few days.

Her good mood was short-lived, however, when she got a good look at her desk. There was a tall stack of manila folders waiting for her. With a groan, she walked towards the desk, tossing the “Phantom” folder next to the pile. Next to it was a stapled copy of her lease and several papers she would need to sign to finalize her transfer to a new branch of the GiW. 

She plucked a folder from the top of the stack. In it was a profile for the Box Ghost, detailing the same stats found in Phantom’s as well as several incident reports from the times the GiW captured him. 

She found that vaguely interesting, noticing that in some of the cases Danny hadn’t responded at all, leaving the Guys to take care of the situation. As she spent the next hour flipping through the folders, she recognized a system somewhat similar to what she and Danny had developed as teenagers. 

It was kind of a relief to find that he hadn’t fallen back into old self-sacrificial habits following everyone’s departure. Or if he had, he hadn’t stuck with it for long. 

Her concentration was only broken by the sound of her desk phone ringing. Valerie leaned forward to peek at the caller ID. Hayes.

“Gray,” He began as soon as she picked up, “We need you at the park. Any chance you read the file on Thorn?”

Valerie had already put the phone on speaker as she shrugged off her jacket. She activated her suit, relishing in the confidence and strength it gave her as it slid over her from its origin on her back. 

“I’m sure I glanced at it. But I’ve always learned better by doing.” By the time her sentence was finished, her battle suit was primed and ready for action.

“It’s probably more than you’re used to knowing about new opponents. There’s a button on your desk, should help you get out of there a little quicker. Consider it your homecoming gift.” The line clicked as he hung up, and Valerie quickly spotted the innocuous-looking button. It was black and had a clear plastic cover over it. She flipped the cover off and pressed the button.

Her large window suddenly split right down the middle, the reinforced glass sliding smoothly to the side. With a grin, she ran forward and threw herself out the window, clicking her heels and activating her hoverboard. Like a shot, she was off towards Amity Park.

* * *

The moments before battle brought her a keen sense of calm. Valerie relaxed into her focus, quieting her breathing so she could hear and enjoying the boost of adrenaline that made her whole body tingle like a primed weapon.

As the park came into view, she reached down to her belt and grabbed the hilt of the Ecto-blade clipped there. With the press of a button and flick of the wrist, she removed it from its place and the solid light ectoplasm that composed the blade activated.

The park was covered in the remains of battle. Tall, thorny vines sprouted from the ground; some still fully intact and moving aimlessly as it searched for a new target and others already severed and burnt. Flowers and shrubs with large pointed teeth snapped at her from the ground, leaping up at her but not managing to get very close.

Valerie didn’t slow to take in the scene, choosing instead to take the most direct route towards the sound of a fight and simply cutting through any of the plant obstacles. It didn’t take her long to locate Danny and the ghost: which looked like a possessed garden gnome. It sat in the center of a mutated tree and laughed wickedly as the gnarled branches swiped at Phantom.

She saw his gaze flick towards her before he focused back on the ghost with a smile.

“That all you got, you little prick?” He called out, flying backwards and faking a yawn. “These fits of yours are getting more and more boring every single break out.”

Thorn directed his monster to chase after Danny. It was almost comedic, since Valerie knew the slow-moving creature would never be able to hit Danny with his speed. She slowed her board down so it would be quieter as she flew in closer to the beast’s fully exposed back.

“The name is Thorn!” The ghost shouted, clearly agitated, “How many times to do I have to say that before it’ll catch on?!” His thick Scottish accent took on a tone that suggested Phantom wasn’t the only one who didn’t call him by his true alias.

When she got close enough, Valerie flicked her wrist again to extend the length of the blade in her hand. She grabbed the hilt with two hands and twisted her torso, using her board to provide some extra momentum as she swung her blade. 

It cut through the trunk like a hot knife through butter, and she took a little pride in the way the ghost screamed in shock at the whole upper half of his plant monster falling to the ground.

He reached up, patting at the top of his hat and shaking as he realized the tip had been cut off as well before turning to face Valerie slowly and gulping at the sight of her twirling her blade casually.

“We haven’t met. I’m the Red Huntress,” She dropped into a sword fighting stance, “And I’m the _mean_ hunter from around here.”

Thorn didn’t manage a full reaction before he was enveloped in a bright blue light. Valerie could have sworn he looked a little relieved as he was sucked up into Danny’s thermos. He capped it and grinned at her.

“Beautifully done, Red!” He called, floating over to her. “Faster than ever, I see.”

Valerie disengaged her helmet so he could see when she rolled her eyes at him. “Well, I did catch him by surprise.” She shut off her blade and placed it back on her belt.

He shook his head, still smiling. “So humble. At any rate I think you’ve made a great first impression.”

“My specialty,” She said, smirking at him, “Need anything else? I’ve got a lot of studying to do.” She turned her board back towards the GiW.

“Nah, looks good here. Well, besides the mess.” He looked out over the torn-up foliage littering the ground of the park.

“It could’ve been worse.” Valerie reminded him. “No one was hurt, right?”

Danny shook his head. “Nah, everyone knows the drill around here.” 

Valerie glanced around, taking a moment to notice that the entire park was completely deserted. “Was this place closed or something?”

“Uh, no,” he gave her a confused look, “I mean, it wasn’t very busy.”

It made sense that people from Amity were used to ghost attacks, what with their frequency, but Valerie could remember many battles where she had to save a stray civilian or two. At the very least there would be a few sticking near the edges to catch a glimpse of Phantom in action. 

“Right,” she began, letting the issue go for now, “well, if that’s all then.”

Danny smiled at her. “Yeah. I’ll see you soon.” 

She nodded and was seconds from darting off when she heard Danny speak again. “It’s nice to have you back, Red.”

Valerie looked at him over her shoulder, taking in his open expression and feeling an overwhelming sensation of _rightness_. Daniel Fenton belonged here, saving the town day in and day out with ease and good-humor. And he believed she belonged in that picture as well. 

She gave him a smile of her own, though she covered quickly by reactivating her helmet. Hunting with Danny was simple. The most uncomplicated part of their relationship. She’d missed it. “Good to be back, Phantom.” 

* * *

Valerie placed the file in her hand in her “read” pile. While there were many ghosts she recognized, there were more that she didn’t, which she hadn’t expected. Amity Park already felt less than familiar, and she’d been there for one day.

A glance at her phone revealed that she had about thirty minutes before her lunch break. With a sigh, she determined that she wouldn’t get too much else done in this time anyway, so she might as well go exploring a little bit. 

She grabbed her phone and the folder with her housing information and shoved them both into her bag before leaving her office. She made her way towards the central corridor, where she’d be able to get her bearings.

When she reached it, she simply stood there for a moment, quietly taking in the size of the operation. The building itself was larger than the one in Chicago, of course, but what really stunned her was the amount of people. 

Ever since it had been publicly acknowledged that ghosts existed, the field of paranormal studies had exploded. Part of the reason she’d picked the college she did was because they’d offered a degree in Paranormal Forensics. 

A sign caught her eye. “Holding Cells”. The Chicago branch had some as well, though it was so small and generally unused that there wasn’t signage for it. Very few people even needed to know about it; including the director, some high-level hunters, and a few scientists that had been specifically trained in extracting samples. 

Valerie wondered if they had a different system for dealing with captured ghosts and quickly decided that a quick peek might prove to be kind of interesting. Mind made up, she walked in the indicated direction. 

She slowed when she reached the check-in desk. The guard on duty was reclining back in his chair, visibly bored as he read an issue of “Popular Mechanics”. 

“Excuse me,” she said, gaining his attention.

“How can I help you,” He began with a monotone before glancing up. Suddenly his whole demeanor changed, “Miss Huntress?!” He scrambled to sit up straight and tossed his magazine on the ground. He noticed Valerie’s amused face and blushed. “Um, how can I help you?” His fingers waited poised above his keyboard.

A fan? 

“Nothing special,” She squinted to read his name tag, “Nicholas. Just exploring a little. Wanted to see the cells.” 

Nicholas grinned, revealing a mouth full of braces. “Oh, you can call me Nick.”

“Only if you call me Valerie.” She smirked at him, and he blushed, eyes falling to the v-cut of her blouse before dropping to his keyboard. 

“Um, yeah, of course,” He began typing away at his computer before frowning and looking up at her, “Right, so, it looks like you aren’t in the system, and therefore don’t have the clearance to go in.” He cringed. “Sorry Miss- uh, Valerie.”

Valerie bit her lip and looked at the door, forlorn. “Oh, I really just wanted to have a look around.” She looked Nick in his eyes, pouting a little. “Are you certain there’s no way I could just have a peek? It wouldn’t take any longer than say… ten minutes?”

Nick’s ears were bright red. “Um… well, I could probably just scan you in, uh, just this once.” He turned in his chair and rolled himself towards the door. He scanned his nametag and quickly entered a password on the keypad before rolling back to his desk. “Alright, go for it,”

Valerie grinned. “Thank you so much, Nick!” She walked past him and tried the door handle. It opened easily. 

“Um, I have to take your bag though.” Nick said, still staring after her and looking a little unsure.

“Of course,” Valerie handed it to him, “You’re the boss.”

Nick blanched at her words before smiling weakly at her, and with a final flirty wave, Valerie walked through the door.

She waited until the door was closed fully before rolling her eyes. It was a little demeaning to use her feminine wiles, but she was nothing if not resourceful. And it was kind of flattering that he was just as impressed by her skill as a hunter as he was with her tits. Both were admittedly pretty stellar. She began walking down the hallway, noting that most of the cells were very empty. It surprised her that she found herself feeling relieved at that.

As she walked, she noticed a faint glow up ahead. She knew before getting there that this cell had to be occupied. Nothing could have prepared her for the sight within.

“Well, what do you know? Small world.”

Valerie recognized the voice immediately, as though it hadn’t been six years since she last heard it. “Skulker?” She whispered in shock.

The green blob nodded. “The one and only.” He took notice of her uniform. “Not your usual color.”

Valerie snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. “Not your usual stature. What are you doing here? Where’s your suit?”

Skulker didn’t answer right away, taking another moment to size her up. “It was destroyed.” Despite his words, he sounded amused. Part of his default emotional set. Amused. Cocky. Fearless. Relentless.

Valerie blinked in surprise. “Destroyed? By the Guys?”

Skulker chuckled. “They’ve got an interesting new weapon. Something nasty. I’d warn Phantom, but…” He made a vague gesture to the cell around him.

Valerie drew back. Skulker and Danny’s relationship was one of begrudging respect, but they still found themselves firmly on opposite sides. Situations that had required them to work together were generally extreme. “He doesn’t know you’re here?” She asked, already knowing the answer.

“Phantom has never kept trophies.” 

So Skulker didn’t know, not really, but he didn’t think so. He was right, of course. Danny wouldn’t keep prisoners, and he sure as well wouldn’t have the Guys do it for him. 

“I’ll relay the message,” she promised, voice hard. 

“I have always found both of you to be honorable opponents,” Skulker said in lieu of a response. 

Valerie snorted. “I know that’s high praise, coming from you. We’ll figure out what’s going on.” She began walking back the way she came, stomach twisted in knots. Something felt weird. Wrong.

There was a moment of debate as to whether or not she should tell Danny or ask Hayes. She supposed she didn’t fully know what their agreement entailed; notifying Danny about prisoners might not be part of it at all. But asking Hayes would include mentioning she’d flirted with a security guard to access the cells, and she didn’t really want to get Nicholas in trouble or fired. 

More significant than any of that, however, was the fact that this weapon, whatever it was, worried her. The conversation between her and Danny that morning played through her head. She trusted herself to know if Danny needed to be stopped, but that was hard-earned knowledge that Hayes didn’t have. 

Mind made up, she forced herself to appear unbothered as she retrieved her bag from security and made her way towards the exit of the building. 

* * *

Valerie was relieved when she saw that Danny’s car was waiting for her right outside the double doors. She opened the door and tossed her bag to the floor before dropping heavily into the seat.

“Geez, Val. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” He joked. She was almost surprised he noticed that she had a lot on her mind, then dismissed it. Danny had gotten good at sussing out emotions by the time they graduated. 

“I just did, actually.” She said, closing the door. “Let’s go. I need to ask you something.”

“Um, okay.” He still looked confused but drove off anyway. 

“Do you know where Skulker is?” Valerie asked casually, watching for his reaction. He shrugged, not bothering to take his eyes off the road. 

“Eh, no. He’s been quiet for a while though.” He glanced over at Valerie as he merged onto the open highway that would bring them back into Amity. “Why?”

“Because I just saw him in the holding cells.” 

Danny didn’t speak for a moment, and for a second Valerie wondered if he cared. That is, of course, until she noticed his white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel and the tightness of his face. “That is,” He began, “news to me.” He paused. “Hayes is supposed to let me know when he captures ghosts so I can bring them back to the portal.” Just as she’d suspected. 

Valerie shook her head. “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there’s more.” 

Danny took a very deep breath.“Tell me.”

She absently wondered if it was a good idea to bring this up while he was driving but figured she couldn’t leave him in suspense now. “Skulker’s suit was gone.”

Danny considered her words. “That’s… I have yet to see anything that can destroy his suit. Other than my powers, anyway.”

Valerie nodded. “Exactly. He told me that the Guys have a new weapon. He wanted me to _warn_ you about it.”

Danny began slowing down and pulled over to the side of the road, jamming the button to turn his hazards on before putting his car into park and turning fully to face Valerie. “What could they possibly have,” he ground out, speaking through clenched teeth, “that would make _Skulker_ want to warn me about it? Hayes hasn’t mentioned a weapon.” As he spoke, she saw the blue of his eyes fade into a brilliant, toxic green. 

Valerie refused to flinch away, though her adrenaline did spike at his emotional response. “I don’t know, but you need to calm down.” Her voice was stern, tone leaving no room for argument, as she ignored her instincts and placed a hand on his forearm. Her grip was soft, but they both knew that could change in an instant if he didn’t heed her advice. “Skulker has played mind games with you before. I just thought you should know.”

“You told me because you know it’s not just some mind game, Valerie.” 

The truth of his words gave her pause. “Do you think Hayes would tell me about it? If I asked?”

“Honestly? No." He huffed and turned his head so to fix his glare onto some indeterminate point outside the front windshield, "And I don’t want you risking your job or worse over this. It’s my problem.” 

Valerie squeezed his arm in warning. “Watch yourself, Fenton. You let _me_ decide whether I want to risk my job or not. And I thought it was obvious already, but I’m not letting you deal with this alone.” That prompted him to meet her eyes again.

They stared at each other, neither showing any sign of backing down. Finally, Danny’s eyes returned to their natural shade and he huffed out a laugh. “Valerie Gray. You’re every bit as stubborn as I remember.”

Valerie smirked. “Of course I am. It’s part of my charm.”


	4. Compound

The first thing Valerie did when she returned to headquarters was find Skulker’s file. 

She’d barely skimmed it the first time around, figuring she was an expert on that particular ghost already, but this time she turned her full attention to the encounter record. If the battle had ended in something as drastic as destroying the ghost’s armor, it _had_ to be detailed in the log. 

She flipped to the latest encounter, which had taken place about six weeks prior. That would explain why Danny hadn’t noticed Skulker was missing. Repairs, or regeneration, on his suit usually took a few months; longer if Danny had really managed to work him over. 

The fight the report described didn’t seem to be particularly intense. She remembered seeing that Danny occasionally let the Guys handle certain ghosts, though it seemed odd to her that Skulker would be one of them. He was pretty powerful, for one thing, and his obsession with hunting meant that he specifically tracked the ambient ecto-energy Phantom gave off. She couldn’t imagine Skulker giving the Guys the time of day if Danny wasn’t there. 

She wished she’d had the time to ask Skulker about the fight while she was in the cells. Especially when she found that the report finished abruptly with the confirmed destruction of Skulker’s armor. No information on the weapon used to do so. She checked the name on the report, wondering who had taken him on. What she saw made her eyes widen.

 _William Hayes, Codename: Agent K_.

No wonder the report was so sparse. Frustrated at the apparent dead-end, she flipped back to the beginning of the file, where the general information could be found. She read through the special section that detailed what they knew about his battle suit. 

Much of the scientific jargon was a little beyond her, but the answer could very well be right in front of her face. Valerie needed someone to translate the data. She checked on the author of the scientific report: _Dr. Laura Brannon_. 

Well then, it was time to visit the labs. 

* * *

Valerie rarely had reason to visit the science wing back in Chicago, but she could recall that every time she had it had been teeming with scientists in a constant flurry of activity. She was quietly thankful that it seemed to be relatively empty. 

She glanced at her watch, making a mental note of the time. It often proved to be a good idea for her to find out the times certain locations would be more-or-less deserted. When she looked up again, she noticed a man who had his lab coat hung over his forearm walking towards the exit.

“Excuse me,” She said, stopping him, “I was wondering if you knew where I could find Dr. Brannon.”

“Sure! She always stays pretty late to work on a few personal projects, so I’m willing to bet she’ll be in her lab.” He turned and pointed to a door on the other side of the massive lab. “It’s through that door.”

Valerie thanked him and walked that direction. She glanced around, taking in the equipment all around her. She didn’t know what most of it did, though some of it looked like something she had seen at the Fenton’s. Chemicals lined the walls within tall reinforced glass shelving cases.

It crossed her mind to look for any signs of weapons development in the lab, but she quickly realized that even if there was anything incriminating, she wouldn’t know what to look for. Danny _might_ , seeing as he worked so closely with ghost technology, but everything in the main lab appeared to be chemical-based. 

She hadn’t ever known the Guys to be involved in weapons manufacturing in the first place. Their standard issue was third-party supplied, some of it by the Fenton’s themselves. The GiW could be using regular weapons with their own unique chemical ammo, but that would leave a mile-long paper trail that Hayes probably wouldn’t want for some under-the-table secret development project. 

She reached the door labelled with Dr. Brannon’s name, and she could hear very faint humming from within. Valerie knocked a couple times, and the humming cut off abruptly. “Dr. Brannon?” She called through the door. “Are you available?”

She listened at the sounds of clinking glasses and papers rustling before the door opened, revealing a short woman with vivid red hair. She blinked up at Valerie, blue eyes looking huge from behind her large, round glasses. “Hello there,” Her voice was soft, “I don’t think we’ve met.” 

Valerie smiled kindly, holding out her hand to the shorter woman. “I’m Valerie Gray. I’m a recent transfer.”

The other woman returned the smile shyly and shook her hand. “I’m Dr. Laura Brannon, but, uh, feel free to call me Laura.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Laura.” Valerie glanced past her to the lab for a moment before looking back down at her. “Could we talk?”

She nodded immediately. “Of course, come in.” She turned and led Valerie into the lab. 

For the most part, it was a bunch more stuff that Valerie didn’t recognize. Her eyes skimmed her surroundings with disinterest until she caught sight of a small bouquet of flowers sitting in a small glass vase. They looked like roses, but their strange coloring and faint glow was enough for her to recognize there was something special about them. 

Laura seemed to notice her sudden interest. She smiled at Valerie and led them over to the plants. “Lovely, aren’t they?”

“They are,” Valerie agreed, “I’ve never seen anything like them.” She wondered, absently, if Danny had. He’d begun mapping the Ghost Zone in high school. Who knows what kind of incredible, strange things he had seen while doing so.

Laura brightened. “Neither have we! They’re completely unlike any other form of ghostly foliage we’ve interacted with before. Usually, plants are essentially possessed by a ghost and mutated, but as soon as the ghost is captured or dissolved the plants lose all ghostly properties,” She explained. “But these… They aren’t possessed at all. They’re _made_ of ectoplasm. And if that isn’t strange enough, we have reason to believe they are reactive, unlike other forms of ‘living’ ectoplasm.”

Valerie cocked her head in confusion. “Living ectoplasm?” She asked.

Laura chuckled. “Sounds strange, I know. ‘Living’ ectoplasm is what we call ectoplasm that is used by an entity. Ambient ectoplasm is what most of the Ghost Dimension is made of.” She began speaking faster as she got more excited. “It took a lot to get Hayes to let me do this extra research. My father was a botanist, so I’ve always had this interest in studying plant life.”

“Where did you get them from?” 

“That’s another great mystery, actually! We found them in the warehouse district, not growing, just… there. The Fenton’s portal is the only stable one in town, but because it has thinned the barrier between our worlds by its mere existence, natural portals are far more common here. We suppose they came through one of these natural portals.”

Valerie blinked. “That’s insane. I mean, in all the time I lived here I never ran into any.” Nor did she know about natural portals forming. Was that a recent development? They never really thought about how the ghosts made it over, assuming they all came out of the Fenton portal.

“We really have no way to know how rare they are in the Ghost Dimension.” She looked past Valerie towards the door for a moment before dropping her voice. “Between you and me, Hayes is so focused on being able to _control_ ghosts that he forgets what a fascinating phenomenon the paranormal can be.” She stopped suddenly. “Oh, I’m so sorry. I’m sure you came here for something far more important than my little side project!” She stared at Valerie expectantly.

“No worries,” Valerie assured her, “that’s all really interesting. I actually just came down to ask you for some clarification about Skulker’s armor.” 

Laura nodded, leaning back against a lab table. “I’ll do my best. I have to warn you, though, much of that report is merely speculation.” She got a wistful look in her eye. “What I wouldn’t give to study it in person.”

While that _was_ unfortunate, Valerie was sure that any further information could be helpful. “What do you think makes the armor so strong? I mean, the only thing I’ve ever seen make a dent in it had been Phantom himself.” 

She considered the question, face scrunching cutely as she thought. “Well, it’s hard to say. My theory is that the suit is made of ‘living’ ectoplasm, a form of extension of himself. Like a turtle’s shell. Or perhaps just how his abilities manifest. And if it’s ‘living’ ectoplasm he can regenerate.” 

Valerie nodded slowly. “That makes sense.” Ghosts could shake off blasts pretty easily when they got hit, their ectoplasm simply reforming unmarked within a few minutes. 

Laura continued, “To actually ‘injure’ one - that is, cause damage they can’t regenerate - they need to be running low on energy or the weapon has to have some sort of agent that renders any ectoplasm it touches inert, unable to be used.” 

“I’ve never heard of a weapon that could do anything like that.” All of the weapons the Fentons and Valerie herself used were meant to cause easily healed surface damage. The name of the game was hitting them enough that they drained their own energy so they could no longer hold a corporeal form or weaken them enough to capture.

“Well, that’s because we don’t know that such an agent can be produced in large enough quantities to be worth it. Any of the chemicals I’ve seen that has the ability to do that costs so much to produce that every discharge of that weapon would cost thousands. And none of them are strong enough to work with only one hit.”

Valerie sighed. “Right.”

Laura offered her a sympathetic smile. “Sorry if that’s not what you wanted to hear.” 

“No, no. That’s probably a good thing,” she waved a hand to dismiss the doctor’s apology, “I’ve just been working on a mystery and keep coming up short.”

Laura perked up. “A mystery! How exciting. You just let me know if you need my help with anything.”

Valerie nodded, smiling at the woman’s enthusiasm. “I will, for sure.” Her gaze slid over to the strange flowers again. 

Laura moved over to the flowers and plucked one from the vase, bringing it over to Valerie. “Here. A gift for a new friend.” Her smile was soft. 

Valerie stared at the offering in surprise. “Really? Are you sure?”

Laura nodded, passing it to the other woman. “I insist, actually.” 

She took the flower. “Thank you again, for everything.” 

“Of course! I do love seeing new faces down here. Please, if you’re ever curious about the work we do, feel free to stop by. I used to be a teacher, so.” Her smile was bright, and Valerie found herself liking the other woman even more.

“I’ll have to take you up on that.” Valerie walked out of the room, upset over the lack of any leads but pleasantly surprised at the interaction. She pulled out her phone to text Danny.

_I haven’t found anything yet. But I did get a cool gift_

_Damn. I’ll come over for dinner and we can try to think up a game plan._

* * *

Giving Danny a key during her lunch break had been an impulsive move.

She’d told him that it was strictly for emergencies, but the look he’d given her as she handed it to him told her that he found it to be much more. She almost wanted to regret it, if only because she didn’t want to give him the wrong idea, but in reality she found herself excited at the idea of having his companionship for at least one more night. 

He already texted, informing her that he would likely beat her there and that he’d let himself in. She joked that he might as well start unpacking for her while he was at it.

Valerie shouldn’t have been surprised to open her door and find that Danny actually had begun to do so. Her kitchenware was stacked neatly on the counters, waiting for her to put them where she wanted. He looked up at the sound of her entrance.

“Hey, Val,” His grin implied that he’d also been looking forward to seeing her, “How was the rest of your day?” He asked, pulling another plate from the box.

“You know, I was just joking about unpacking for me,” she said in lieu of an answer, dropping her bag onto her couch. 

His smile didn’t waver. “I know,” he placed the dish on the stack and pulled another from the box. 

She snorted. “Well, now I feel bad. I didn’t find out anything useful today.” She heaved a long sigh and reached into her bag where she’d gently tucked the flower. “But I nabbed some creepy decor.” She held it up for Danny to see. 

The color drained from his face, and he immediately set the plate in his hand on the counter. “Where did you get that?” His voice was soft as he took a step backwards.

Valerie was blinking at him in shock over his reaction. It took her a moment to find her words. “The head scientist, uhh, Laura Brannon gave it to me.” She pulled it closer to her chest. “You know what this is?” 

“It’s a Blood Blossom.” He swallowed thickly. 

“Blood Blossom,” she repeated, mostly to herself. 

He nodded. “I’ve only interacted with them a few times, but they’re pretty nasty.” He walked around the counter to move closer to her. His gaze was fixed warily on the innocuous looking bloom.

“Nasty as in…?” 

“Painful,” he finished. 

She glared at him, taking a small step back. “What are you doing, then?” 

He eyed her, brows furrowed. “We have to be sure it’s legit. I mean, I have barely seen these in the Ghost Zone. I could be wrong.” He didn’t look like he believed that, though. 

Valerie shook her head. “I don’t like this, Danny.” She said, worried at his reaction. She’d never known Danny to overreact to anything that wasn’t deadly serious. Her stomach was twisted in knots.

He gave her a nervous smile. “Me either, honestly. But we have to see what we’re working with.” He took in her uncertain look and stepped closer again. She didn’t move, this time. “I’ll be fine, Val.” He insisted.

Valerie simply stared. Easy for him to say. “I don’t believe you.” Even as she said it, she knew that he was right. 

He held out a hand. “Just a second, Val. Just so we know.” 

She looked down at his hand, then back at his face. He seemed calm enough, but his jaw was clenched. It was what he did when he was nervous but defiant towards that feeling. Unbidden, she recalled the same look on a much younger face. She’d certainly seen it enough back then. 

Well. If she thought about _that_ too much she’d never do it.

She held out the flower to him, allowing him to take it from her. 

The reaction wasn’t clear immediately. Valerie was almost relieved until she saw the angry reddish-green welts forming on his skin where it came in contact with the stem. 

“Okay, I’ve seen enough.” She watched as he continued inspecting the Blood Blossom closely with only a furrowed brow showing his discomfort. “Danny! Drop it!”

He did as she said immediately, cringing as he watched it fall to the ground. “Ow,” he mumbled, shaking his hand, “yeah, that’s a Blood Blossom alright.” 

“You’re insane,” she snapped, grabbing at his wrist and pulling his hand towards her for closer inspection, “these are bad burns.” He’d had the flower in his hand for all of a few seconds. The implications of that was more than she really wanted to process, at the moment.

Danny hummed in agreement, though he was looking at her as opposed to his wound. “Well, this is an unpleasant surprise.”

“No kidding.” She led him towards the bathroom, where she prompted him to sit at the edge of her bathtub. “I’ve got to find my first aid kit.” She walked out of the bathroom, but left the door open so he could see her checking the labels on the boxes still sitting in the living room.

“You said Brannon gave you that?” He asked.

She didn’t look up, but she’d clearly found the box she was looking for. She picked at the tape. “Yeah. She told me they were a side-project.”

He hummed. There was a loud ripping sound as Valerie pulled the tape off the box and grabbed the handle of her massive first aid kit. “Of course.”

She crouched on the ground in front of him, opening the kit and rifling through for the proper supplies.“What are you thinking?”

Danny took a deep breath, holding it in his lungs for a moment before letting it out slowly. “I don’t know. I’m confused about how exactly they managed to get them.”

“Natural portals, according to Laura.” She glanced up at him. “I didn’t even know that was a thing.” 

Danny shrugged. “If I’m being honest with you, I didn’t either. My parents mentioned it in passing one day and rocked my world.” 

Valerie shook her head and began the slow, delicate process of disinfecting the wound. “I feel like we shouldn’t be the last to know about this kind of stuff.”

He chuckled. “I’d have to agree.”

“So what does this mean? Them having these?” She tossed the used wipe to the floor and picked up the burn cream. “I mean, Laura didn’t mention anything like this when she was telling me about them.”

“Hard to say. I mean, I don’t really know how dangerous these things are. They’re painful but so is a lot of things that aren’t necessarily life-threatening.”

Valerie pulled a tube of burn cream from the kit and squeezed some of it into her palm. “We should bring it to your parents.” She suggested as she gently began applying the cream onto the burns. 

He hissed at the pain, but he didn’t pull away. “Yeah, probably. Though Laura might be able to tell us more information about them quicker with the research she already has.”

Valerie hummed. “That might be true, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea for you to tell her what these do to you.” 

Danny was quiet for a moment too long, but Valerie was focused on her task, figuring he would speak when he was ready. “She’s genuinely a nice person, Val. Don’t do that.”

Valerie paused to look up at him with a raised brow. “Do what? Be rightfully suspicious?”

“Think the worst of her,” he corrected, straightening his spine. “She wouldn’t do anything bad to me. Not purposely anyway.” 

She didn’t respond immediately as she grabbed some gauze and tape from the kit and began wrapping his hand. “I wasn’t thinking the worst of her, she just seems… I don’t know. She likes to tell people about her work. Explain things. She was a teacher, right? What if she said something to Hayes?” Something occurred to her suddenly and her eyes narrowed as she looked up to meet his gaze. “You’re really defensive over her. What’s up?”

Danny shook his head. “She’s a friend,” he answered shortly. The indignant tone, however, told her all she needed to know. 

She scoffed, finishing up with his hand. “You’ve been with her.” She looked up again just in time to watch him avert his gaze. “Emotionally or just physically?”

There was a distinct flush to his cheeks. “Uh, both.”

Valerie simply stared at him for a moment before she could no longer contain herself. She laughed. “My god, Danny. You are a glutton for punishment, aren’t you?”

He rolled his eyes at her, though the way his shoulder relaxed told her we was relieved at her lack of anger. “Leave it alone, Val. She’s nice. And very pretty. And smart. It’s not a crime to date, you know?”

“Hey, I get it,” she raised both hands in surrender for a moment before tossing the supplies in her hand back into her kit. “I’m just saying that you manage to find yourself with girls who could potentially lead to your downfall. So do lots of guys.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m also thinking that, pretty face aside, we have to consider that maybe, totally innocently, she might mention their potential to Hayes - who probably would love to cut out the middleman and deal with you himself - despite your previous torrid love affair.”

He sighed heavily. “Yeah. You’re right.”

She took a little pity on him. “Don’t look so upset. She’s not the first ex-girlfriend to try and hurt you. At least _she’s_ not doing it on purpose.”

Danny huffed out a laugh, gaze fixed somewhere to the left of her face. “Yeah. Moving on up.”

They were quiet for a moment before Valerie put her hand on his shoulder. “Danny. It’s okay.” He finally met her eyes again, and she found herself feeling truly sympathetic. He really was more of a lover than a fighter. Things like this broke his heart; not that he’d learn from the mistake and take action to protect it. “We’re going to figure all of this stuff out.”

Danny gave her a small smile. “I know we will.”

Valerie gave him a short nod. “Good. Let’s take our minds off of it for a little while, yeah?” She smiled at him when he raised his brows in question. “Take-out?”

* * *

Later that evening found Danny and Valerie sitting on the ground at her coffee table, surrounded by the leftovers of the Chinese food they had ordered. The TV was playing softly in the background as they talked, the channel turned to a station marathoning horror movies.

“I think we should try and talk to Clockwork,” Valerie said, the sentence a complete non-sequitur from their previous conversation reminiscing about high school. 

He frowned. “Uh, about what, exactly?” 

“For a lead on this Skulker situation.” She reached over to steal a piece of broccoli from his plate and popped it into her mouth.

He considered that. “I doubt he’d be much help.” He snorted. “Actually, I _know_ he wouldn’t be much help.” 

Valerie rolled her eyes, shoving him with her shoulder. “I’m just throwing some ideas out there.” 

Danny looked away from her, fixing his gaze back on the TV.

“Unless,” Valerie began, eyes narrowing “you’ve already got one.” 

He shrugged. “I might. But it’s really terrible. Like… I know you’d hate it.”

She hummed. “Wouldn’t be the first terrible idea you’ve gotten me involved in. Might as well tell me.” 

“I was going to,” he said, meeting her gaze again, “just trying to figure out how not to sound like I’m trying to be a martyr.”

“Ugh, I hate this already,” Valerie teased. She nudged his shoulder again. “Spit it out.”

He shrugged. “You remember what I told you, back when we were teenagers? About the me that was evil?” 

“Of course I do.” That was a really bad night. 

“I think you should tell Hayes.”

Valerie drew back enough so she could turn her body towards him fully. “Explain.”

He winced at her stormy expression. “Well, if he thought that you thought I might be dangerous, or have some... prophetic inclination towards the destruction of Amity, he might tell you about the weapon.” 

That was actually a really good point. The plan wasn’t air-tight by any means, and it would force Valerie to essentially retract a lot of what she’d insisted to Hayes thus far, but it was better than her continuing to sneak around. 

Still, she didn’t like the idea that Hayes would know about something that had _tortured_ Danny for years. They were still early in their… friendship? Truce? When he’d told her the story. He had never told anyone else, at least at that time; not Sam, not Tucker, not even Jazz. 

She remembered so clearly the haunted look in his eyes. The way he started to cry, voice hiccuping occasionally as he pressed on to tell her the story. The way he apologized to her, as if _she_ was the one who had to dedicate a whole decade of her life to fighting him. The way he’d held onto her when she hugged him after. 

“Damn,” she huffed, “just… give me like, a second.” She stood, gathering her and Danny’s trash and walking into her kitchen so she could throw it away and move the leftovers into tupperware. He watched silently as she puttered around the kitchen. She paused mid-pace. “You,” she jabbed a finger towards him, “you are either very brave or insane.” 

He gave her a cheeky grin. “Probably a little bit of both.” 

She frowned at him, leaning against her counter. “And you’re sure about this? I mean, I didn’t really react well to the story when you told me, and we were on the same side.” 

Danny’s expression became more serious, more somber. “You must be misremembering then.” 

Valerie rolled her eyes. “Just because I hugged you doesn’t mean I wasn’t angry.”

”No,” Danny agreed before crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against the couch.“But it does mean you weren’t angry at _me_.” 

She raised her brows. “You seem really certain about that.”

“I am,” he said with a short nod. “I think you imagine yourself a lot differently than you actually are. I remember you comforting me, Val. However you felt about the story, you knew I hadn’t told anyone else and let me deal with a lot of feelings I hadn’t confronted yet. You’ve always been hard on me, but never cruel.”

Well, what the _fuck_ was she supposed to say to that? 

She could feel it again; guilt turning her stomach. Comforting him was the least she could do in that moment. 

After all, Danny had just told her of a timeline where he’d lost everything he’d loved and she’d just… abandoned him. Left him without support or love until he’d become so sick with grief that he allowed himself to be turned into a monster. And of course then, _then_ she was front and center to hunt him down. 

She averted her gaze, not wanting him to see her still, after all these years, struggling with her regrets. “Sure, Danny.”

There was a long moment of silence between them. Valerie heard him stand up and move closer to her, until he walked himself back into her line of sight. “Valerie,” he began, voice gentle but stern, “is there something we need to talk about?” 

Part of her wanted to tell him exactly what she was thinking, but she feared that doing so would bring her right back to her teenaged mental state. It had been years. She was over it. 

“No. Seriously,” she insisted at his disbelieving look, “I appreciate your concern, though.” 

He didn’t really look like he wanted to drop it. She saw him move to grab her hand, then abort the motion midway. “I always say the wrong thing to you.” 

“I don’t want to do this right now, Danny.” She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. “We’ve got bigger problems.”

He didn’t look happy about it, but nodded. “There’s another thing I’ve been thinking about too.”

Valerie sighed. “There’s always more.”

“I think we have to break into headquarters and destroy Laura’s blood blossoms.” 

Valerie groaned. “Is it too late to change my mind about being friends with you?” Turn the conversation around. Bring it back to the present moment. Her and Danny specialized in dodging difficult discussions when they wanted.

Danny had the audacity to grin at her. “Probably.”


	5. Fissure

According to the email she’d received early that morning, Valerie wasn’t expected back in the GiW headquarters until later in the evening for a case briefing with Danny and Hayes. 

She’d never actually worked much of a normal or consistent schedule for the Guys, and seeing that working with Hayes was going to be more of the same brought on a feeling of relief she wasn’t quite expecting. 

Danny had ended up staying over at her apartment that night, as their brainstorming for how exactly they were going to deal with Laura’s blood blossoms went on into the early hours of the morning. When they woke up, they decided over a breakfast of cold leftovers that since they were already together and had the time, they ought to take the trip to the new FentonWorks to give the Fentons the blood blossom. 

Valerie was kind of excited to see it.

Part of her was really convinced that the Fenton’s would use their newfound wealth to go ultra-sleek with their next lab. An all-white building with lots of glass and modernized furniture. Then she thought maybe they just built a replica of the old FentonWorks. Jack and Maddie were the sentimental sort, so really it wouldn’t have surprised her.

What she did find when she reached it was not either of those things, but it was so in character that she’d probably have guessed the building was theirs even if _Fenton_ wasn’t plastered across the front.

It was a relatively small warehouse-type building composed mostly of classic red brick. From the rightmost end a giant metal structure bloomed out from the rest of the building, going from the side and then extending upwards to the top. She stared at the impressive structure with a fond smile. The Fenton’s really hadn’t changed a bit.

She deactivated her sled alongside Danny as he landed and changed back into his human form, and together they walked up to the front door, which was also made of heavy-duty metal. As soon as they were close enough, she felt the gentle tingle of proximity scans, not unlike those used at all the GiW facilities. A computerized voice spoke out loud: “Surface level ectoplasm traces detected. Ecto – signature recognized, identification: Phantom.”

After the announcement, Valerie could hear the sound of a doorbell chime from within. She grinned. The Fenton’s were the _best_. 

The door slid open a moment later, revealing Maddie Fenton in her usual jumpsuit and a lab coat. “Valerie!” She brought the younger woman in for a hug, which Valerie returned. When Valerie pulled away, Maddie stepped past her to hug Danny as well. “Hello, sweetie. Come in, come in!” 

Valerie’s eyebrows raised as she stepped through the threshold. The Fenton’s had clearly decided that since they no longer had children to raise, they didn’t have to devote as much room to living space as they had previously. There was a small and simply decorated living room, and she could see the kitchen on the other side. There were a couple doors to her left that were surely a bedroom and bathroom. She glanced over at Danny, who was watching her reaction with a look of amusement on his face.

To her right, there was an industrial level blast door and a decontamination chamber right outside of it. Next to the door was a panel that had a number pad and a fingerprint scanner. Maddie walked over to it, half-turned as she directed her explanation to Valerie.

“Jack and I definitely splurged a little when it came to the lab in this place.” Maddie said as she entered in a code and scanned her hand. “I think it’s helping us with our empty nest syndrome,” her words were punctuated with a slight chuckle. The door slid open with a hiss of powerful hydraulics, and the duo followed Maddie inside.

“Wow,” Valerie said as she took in the room before her, “Looks like it was money well spent.” The lab sprawled outwards, with row after row of lab tables covered in either analysis equipment or parts for any manner of ghost-related weaponry and containment units. Further back Valerie could see a small conveyer belt system, where she assumed they produced the first few units of their new projects. 

Maddie led them deeper within, coming to a stop in front of one of the lab tables. “We run experiments, build new gadgets, and create the first generation of prototypes right here!” She explained, eyes shining with pride. “There’s hardly ever a dull moment. Danny’s always coming around with something new for us to investigate. And then there’s you, of course,” indicating Valerie’s suit, “We just love making new stuff for the Red Huntress.”

Valerie blushed slightly as she smiled. “Well, I appreciate it.” She looked around. “Where’s Mr. Fenton?”

As though summoned, the door to the lab opened and a highly enthusiastic “VALERIE GRAY!” boomed from the direction of the entrance. Valerie turned just in time to be scooped up into a warm hug, one that had her feet hanging a couple of inches off the floor. 

She chuckled as best she could. “Nice to see you, too,” she wheezed out. She was placed on the floor again a moment later, Jack’s hands remaining on her shoulders and giving them a gentle squeeze.

“We were hoping you’d come around soon. You haven’t gotten to see the new and improved FentonWorks yet! Good call bringing her, Danno.” He winked at his son, which made Danny blush. Valerie raised a confused brow at the interaction, but dismissed it as the father and son duo’s usual brand of _slightly_ misunderstanding each other.

Maddie regarded the younger adults for a moment. “But you’re not here for a tour, are you?” She asked, a knowing look in her eyes. Valerie wondered, sometimes, if Maddie truly hadn’t suspected Danny’s double-life at all. The woman was sharp as a tack. Jack released her and took a step back so he could sling an arm over his wife’s shoulders.

“You caught us.” Danny admitted, smiling sheepishly. 

Valerie reached into one of the pouches on her hip and pulled out a sealed tupperware. Inside was a wet paper towel wrapped around the blood blossom. She held it up between them for the Fenton’s to see. “We need your help.”

The couple shared a look, and Valerie could already see the wheels turning in their brains. “A flower?” Maddie took the container, holding it closer to her face. She must’ve noticed the faint glow it gave off. “Ah. This must be special.” She passed it to Jack so he could inspect it more closely as well.

“They’re called blood blossoms,” Danny interjected, crossing his arms, “They’re pretty rare.”

Jack put a hand to his chin. “That explains why we’ve never heard of them.”

Valerie hummed in agreement. “Neither had I, until recently.”

“Well, I’m sure you wouldn’t have brought it down if all it did was look pretty,” Maddie said, crossing her arms over her chest. “What’s going on?” They fixed the duo with an expectant look. No wonder Danny waited so long to tell them his secret, the power of their combined analytic gaze was intimidating. 

“They’re toxic to ghosts,” Danny explained, “Very painful to come in contact with, at minimum.” He held up his bandaged hand for emphasis. “We don’t really know how potentially dangerous they are, though.”

Maddie’s eyes widened. “Oh, goodness, are you alright, honey?” The scientist took a backseat to the mother, at least for the moment. 

“Yeah, I’m fine, mom.” He grinned, nodding his head towards Valerie. “Val fixed me right up.” 

Jack seemed pleased at that, still turning the container around as he closely inspected the bud. “Well, we sure are glad you’ve got someone looking out for you.” He lowered the container. “Would it be dangerous for you if I opened this?” 

Danny shook his head. “Nah, should be fine. It seems to only affect me through direct contact.” 

Jack popped the container open and placed it on a nearby lab table before removing the flower. He held it between himself and Maddie and they were instantly in scientist mode again. Maddie’s gentle fingers skimmed over the petals, lightly tugging to test their strength.

“Seems very much like a rose.”

“See the thorns?”

“We should take extract from it. See how it reacts to ectoplasm.” 

“Do we have samples?”

“Entity-based or environment-based?”

“Both, of course.” 

Both Valerie and Danny watched, him amused and her impressed. He looked over at her. “Well, I’d say they’re all set.” His parents had always been a little one-track minded when it came to the paranormal.

Vaguely, she could remember times where Danny had told her his frustration over how often they got caught up in a project and would be pretty absent from his and Jazz’s day-to-day life. She wondered if it still bothered him, or if he’d stopped expecting anything else.

She hummed. “And you were going to deny them this?” She was smirking even as she said it. He rolled his eyes at her. 

“Yeah, yeah. C’mon, let’s get out of their way. We might have time for a quick patrol before we meet with Hayes.” He looked back up towards his parents, who had moved over to the nearest lab table. “Mom, dad, we’re heading out.”

“Bye, sweetie!”

“See you later, son, Valerie.” 

Their response came in unison, which made Valerie chuckle. The Fentons were as in-sync as ever. She loved that about them. Occasionally, she still mourned that she never got to see all the ways her own parents showed their love in their marriage. She wondered, and hoped, that it was like the Fentons. She wondered if she would ever have anything like that.

Danny led her outside. As soon as he hit the lawn, he changed into his ghost form, jumping into the air and floating as he waited for her. Valerie took a running start and called her board, leaping into the sky as it formed beneath her feet. She didn’t slow for a second, flying past Danny and calling over her shoulder. “Race you!”

She heard his laughter and sped up, knowing she’d probably lose but enjoying a good race all the same. 

It didn’t take long for him to come up beside her, grinning. 

“You’re on.” 

* * *

A couple hours of patrol later found the duo atop one of Amity’s tallest office buildings, looking over the rest of the city as they caught a break from their last chase. They sat side-by-side, both leaning back against their palms as they enjoyed a comfortable silence, both of them lost in their own thoughts. 

“Can I ask you something kind of random?” Danny’s voice was soft, as though he didn’t want to startle her when he broke the quiet. 

Valerie turned her head towards him lazily. He seemed as relaxed as ever, having gone so far as to change back into his human form, so she figured it wasn’t anything too serious. “Go for it.”

“How _was_ college for you? Really?” He paused, then continued. “I mean, Tucker and Sam went but they weren’t, you know, into ghost hunting the way we are.”

The question _was_ random; though not necessarily because they hadn’t really spoken about college much, but moreso because he seemed so wholly uninterested in anything that had to do with it. 

Valerie hummed as she thought. “It was fine, I guess. Normal except for when it wasn’t.” She shrugged. “Why do you ask?”

“It’s dumb,” he admitted, sheepish, “I was just wondering… Was it easy for you to make friends?” He asked the question carefully, as though worried it was a little too personal. Weird, considering they’d hardly refrained from talking about actual childhood trauma. “I know that’s supposed to be a big part of it.”

She shrugged again. “I mean, I wasn’t ever that great at making friends. Like, close friends.” It was easy to meet people and even hang out with them occasionally in college. But for them to become an important or significant part of her life? Much harder. 

“Really?” He actually seemed surprised at that, cocking his head to the side like an inquisitive puppy. Not for the first time, she wondered at his perception of her.

“Sure.” She looked out again as she explained. “I didn't want people too close to me because I didn’t want them to see all of my… baggage, I guess? I didn’t want them to know about my mom. Then I didn’t want them to know how poor we were. Then I didn’t want them to know about fighting ghosts… I just wanted to be kind of in control over how people saw me.” 

Danny made a soft noise of understanding. “Yeah. I definitely get that.” 

“What’s got you thinking about that?” She had to ask, because sometimes Danny didn’t even know why he did the things he did. He trusted his instincts implicitly, which was a good thing when it came to battle, but not always great for helping him navigate his emotions. Actually, it was a decent pairing with Valerie’s bluntness. If she asked, he’d answer. Simple.

“Since you’ve been back… I’ve been thinking a lot about all the ‘what-ifs’ in my life.” He shrugged. “What if I’d gone to college? What if everyone had stayed? What if my secret hadn’t been revealed? I don’t know.”

Valerie hummed. “What is it about me that’s making you do that?”

“You coming back is something _new._ Things around here have been so stagnant since you guys left. And I really hadn’t noticed until you came back.” He shook his head. “I’m thinking about things from high school like I haven’t in _years_. It’s… Not bad. Just a lot.”

“Yeah,” Amity and Danny were dredging up a lot for Valerie too, “I get it.”

They sat quietly for another moment before he spoke again. “Do you think you ever would have told me those things about you? You know, if I hadn’t been so involved in everything?” 

Valerie looked over at him again. It wasn't like she didn’t acknowledge the fact that they’d dated, even for a short time, but rarely was she confronted with the memory that she’d had a massive, almost embarrassing crush on him before that. 

He was watching her with those blue, _blue_ eyes that she’d been enchanted by years ago. Even when he looked tired, or beaten down, there was a certain brightness to his gaze. Something that suggested that he was paying attention, observing closely. 

She recognized it in the Fentons as well. Perhaps it was a feature of scientific minds. 

“Maybe,” she said. “Probably. if we’d… worked out.” Because that was something she’d wanted then, and wanted now. Her expectations for friendship weren’t complicated. She _wanted_ someone to tell these things to. 

He smiled sadly. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to choose that.” 

She inhaled deeply, unsure of what to say. When it came down to it, she didn’t regret that Danny knew these things about her. The circumstances of him learning them weren’t ideal, but he’d taken great care of all her truths. 

He knew so much of her - some of it accidental, sure - but after his reveal, she’d gone on to tell him so much more. She didn’t know why, not then, and not now. Maybe because he already knew so much, and therefore she could talk to him about things she couldn’t discuss with anyone else. Or maybe it was because she’d felt she owed him something after all the time she’d spent hunting him with intent to destroy. 

On paper, he had probably been her best friend. Which was pretty sad considering that at the time he was only newly considered an ally.

“It’s okay,” she said, which didn’t really span the whole of her feelings on the matter, “I don’t blame you for that. Not anymore.” 

He regarded her for a moment before nodding. “That’s… I’m glad.” He swallowed hard. “I wish I’d told you everything sooner. That’s another ‘what-if’ I’ve been thinking about a lot, lately.” 

“I don’t think that would’ve changed anything,” she admitted. She’d have still been angry. She’d have still been guilty. 

“Maybe,” he sounded like he wasn’t convinced of that, “Or it could’ve changed a lot of things.” His gaze on her was steady, and there was something in the way he looked at her… 

She blushed. 

It could have been a lot of things, really. But it seemed like _longing_. For what, she wasn’t fully sure. Well, she had an idea, but admitting that to herself or… doing anything about that was a little beyond what she felt she could handle at the moment. 

She stood, suddenly, stretching as she did so. “Well, I want to shower before we meet with Hayes.” For the first time since she’d returned, there was a moment of awkwardness between them. She hated it. She’d rather get into another argument.

He nodded as he stood, averting his eyes. He felt it too, then. “I’ll see you later,” he said, changing into his ghost form again and walking closer to the edge of the building. He leapt off the edge, falling for only a second before catching himself in the air and taking off towards FentonWorks. 

She wasted no time in calling forth her suit and board and flying in the opposite direction, though she did spare one last look at his retreating figure. 

* * *

The opportunity to see Danny and Hayes interact was a source of excitement and apprehension in nearly equal measures. 

On the one hand, she was really interested to see what each of the men were like in the other’s company. Particularly because both Hayes and Danny had revealed their thoughts on the other more completely to Valerie than she figured they ever had to each other. 

On the other, she worried that all of them being in the same room together took away her only advantage in the whole situation between them: the fact that she could pick and choose her reactions for each of them to best suit their specific relationship. 

She didn’t need either of them doubting her. 

Danny and Valerie, both in their suits, were waiting in the meeting room, quietly reading through the folders in front of them. Some of the awkwardness from earlier lingered, but the mildly interesting case laid out before them provided ample distraction. 

Apparently, several local warehouses had realized that their productivity was way down due to an unusual amount of equipment malfunctions and worker injuries. The Guys in White had been hired by the parent corporation of the facilities to see if there was a paranormal reason for the recent misfortune. 

Hayes was exactly on time, probably down to the second. The moment he entered the room, Danny sat up straighter, broadening his shoulders and crossing his arms over his chest. 

Valerie saw Hayes puff himself up similarly. It was all she could do not to roll her eyes. _Men._

“Phantom, Huntress. I want to thank you for being on time today,” Hayes began, sitting himself at the head of the conference table. Valerie and Danny were in the first seats to his right and left side. “I’m sure you’ve already looked through the case file, so I won’t waste any more of your time than necessary.” He opened his own copy of the file in front of him. “Phantom, do you think their concerns are well-founded?” 

“I do, actually. These warehouses don’t even carry the same stuff but they are showing near identical incidents. And I find it interesting that they are all run by the same company. These buildings are scattered throughout the district. There’s no way that is a coincidence.” 

Valerie didn’t think she’d ever heard him with so little life or inflection in his voice, not even before his most dangerous battles. He was without any of his usual charm. It was kind of disconcerting; not that she’d ever tell him she found him _charming_ , of all things. 

“The incidents themselves are interesting too,” Valerie chimed in, “namely that they ruined equipment or product but never caused any major injuries in the workers.” 

Hayes hummed at that. “Could be a conspiracy by the workers themselves, then.” He leaned back in his chair. 

“Could be,” Danny agreed, “but all of the warehouses are outfitted with very decent security systems. They didn’t find any tripped alarms or signs of security footage manipulation.” He flipped through the case, as though making sure he’d read it right. She didn’t doubt that he had. Danny was silly, occasionally, but he was smart. 

“So we are all in agreement that this is most likely an entity,” Hayes sounded like he’d already figured this long ago. He was certainly a man who liked holding all the cards. Perhaps some of his grievances with Danny stemmed from a control issue? 

“I know I’m not fully caught up on all the new ghosts around here, but it sounds like it’s the ghost of someone… recent.” Valerie added.

They were all quiet as they considered that. Recently formed ghosts were tricky business. Generally, they still had very specific grudges; that is, they were able enact vengeance on whatever it was that bound them to Earth in the first place. As time passes and the ghost begins to forget the specifics of their lives, their obsession and therefore their abilities solidify into a new identity, almost fully separate from who they were.

Danny sighed, eyes sad. “Yeah, I was thinking that too. We should try and find any deaths from the past 10 years or so for the company. Might give us a clue as to who this person was.” 

“That is not going to be necessary,” Hayes said, holding up a hand, “I need you two to find this ghost and apprehend it. Doesn’t matter who he was.”

Valerie saw Danny’s jaw flex as he grit his teeth. “We might not have to be violent with him at all. If he’s that new, he can still be reasoned with,” His voice was hard in a way she wasn’t sure she’d ever heard before. 

She recognized an old fight. “We _do_ have to stop him, because this is a hired job,” Valerie cut in before the argument got any further, “ _but_ that doesn’t mean we have to be nasty about it.” 

Both men looked over at her sharply, clearly unused to the additional opinion. Danny immediately settled, sitting back. “You’re right.” 

Hayes remained stoic as ever, looking between the two for a moment before nodding once. “I will get the information you need, then.” 

Valerie allowed herself a moment of satisfaction. Perhaps the problems between the men could be solved. Maybe they needed someone like her, an outsider, to keep both of them on the right track when it came to each other. 

“I want tonight to be observation only,” Danny added. “Could help us narrow it down when you give us the list.” 

Hayes' face twisted into his version of irritation, which wasn’t terribly expressive for anyone else, but quite the change for him. “Part of this job is protecting their assets.” 

“Those are material. This is a _person_.”

“ _Was_ a person,” Hayes responded sharply. “He’s dead, Phantom. There’s nothing you can do for him anymore.” 

Danny stiffened. “Are we done?” He rose, not waiting for an answer before storming out of the room. 

Valerie watched him go, not bothering to hide her concern. When she looked back at Hayes, he had his head buried in his hands. He exhaled heavily before looking at her again. “I need you to protect the client’s assets, Gray. As long as you do that, I don’t care if you fight this ghost. Consider it an order if you find yourself morally having trouble with the idea.” 

She blinked in shock at the interaction, and Hayes' reaction to Danny’s exit. “Yeah. I’ll do that.”

Hayes nodded. “Then you have your mission. You’re dismissed.” He began writing in his file and didn’t look up as Valerie took her leave. 

She caught up with Danny outside. He hadn’t gone further than the edge of the parking lot, clearly waiting for her, though his gaze was fixed firmly on the horizon. 

“When do you want to meet tonight?” His voice was flat. 

“ _Wow_ … that was…” she didn’t really know what to say. 

He huffed, shaking his head. “He was right,” he mumbled looking down at his feet, “there’s nothing I can do for him. Or any of them.” 

“What a ridiculous, stupid, self-destructive thing of you to say.” She couldn’t keep the words from falling from her mouth, nor could she keep the steel from her tone. Danny wouldn’t look at her. Probably because he knew she was right. “Why do you put this on yourself, Danny?” She softened, slightly, “You already defend this town from ghosts. And now, what, you’re trying to protect the ghosts from the town too?” She shook her head. “It’s too much.” 

He still wouldn’t meet her gaze. “I don’t do enough for either of them.” 

She wanted to snap at him again, but she recognized his need for support rather than criticism. She had a pretty good instinct for that when it came to Danny, though it was very hard-earned knowledge.

“You,” she grabbed his chin gently, turning his face so he was looking at her, “are one. Man. There is only so much you can do.” 

His eyes were wide, though whether it was a reaction at her words or her actions, she wasn’t sure. “If I asked you to help me, would you do it?” The question burst from him, clearly without him being able to stop it. His cheeks tinted red. 

She pursed her lips. “Would you _let_ me?”

He huffed out a laugh, and finally, _finally_ things between them re-oriented. “Yeah. I’d really,” he grabbed her hand from his chin, holding it with his own for a moment before dropping it between them, “really appreciate it.” 

She offered him a small smile. “Well then, we’ve got our work cut out for us tonight.”

* * *

On their way to stake-out the warehouse, Danny told her the story of how he met and subsequently began dating one Laura Brannon. He told her about meeting the woman as Phantom on official Guys in White business and how he spent the weeks following trying to run into her as Fenton. 

He admitted he had no idea how he was going to convince her to go on a date with him, since as far as she knew she’d only have just met him; and he blushed when he admitted that she’d accepted his invitation for a date while in the bread aisle at the local grocer. 

“So she agreed? Just like that?” Valerie asked. She smirked when Danny simply shrugged his shoulders in response. “Geez Fenton, you must’ve put the _moves_ on her.”

Danny snorted as he turned onto the next street. “What _moves_?”

Valerie laughed. “Act innocent all you want Fenton, but we dated for a few weeks. You know exactly what moves I’m referring to.”

“I’d like to think I’m better at dating now than I was at fourteen,” Danny replied as he parked the car a little distance away from the warehouse where the last incident had taken place. They’d decided to start there and begin patrolling the whole of the warehouse district at nightfall. 

“How did it go?” Valerie asked as she reached into the backseat to grab their packed dinners and bottles of water. She handed Danny his sandwich. “She did seem pretty cool.”

He took it, fiddling with the cling wrap as he spoke. “Really well, actually. We went on a couple dates and those were nice so we decided to make it a ‘thing’. It was fun. Then a ghost attacked us while we were out.”

“Uh oh.” Valerie was well aware of how that tended to ruin the mood.

“Yeah, so of course Fenton had to find some lame excuse to leave so Phantom could make an appearance. I saved her right before she got crushed by a mini golf windmill. I don’t know if she suddenly realized she had a crush on Phantom or just didn’t like that I’d bailed on her as soon as the attack started. Either way...”

“It was all over for Fenton.” Valerie finished. She shook her head. “That really sucks.” She opened her sandwich and bit in, staring out the windshield as she listened.

“Yup. A couple days later she told me she didn’t think she was that interested in me romantically and she didn’t want to waste my time.” He shrugged, opening his own sandwich.

Valerie swallowed. “You could’ve told her the truth, if you thought it was going somewhere. She doesn’t seem like the type to freak out.”

“I had thought about it, but… I don’t know, Valerie. It felt wrong to bring someone else into all of this.” He made a vague gesture to his general person. “I never wanted her to feel like she was under some obligation to stay with me because I decided to tell her this huge secret.”

She nodded. “I get that. Not wanting to bring other people into this, I mean.” She was quiet for a moment as she thought. ”The lifestyle is a _lot_.”

“Yeah.” He inhaled deeply as he turned his gaze back on the warehouse. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything, though.” He paused, finally unwrapping his sandwich. “It’s never boring.” 

She snorted. “No kidding.” 

They ate quietly for a little while, until Danny spoke again. “I really am sorry, you know. About walking out of the meeting earlier.”

She shook her head. “It’s fine. Hayes’ reaction was kind of interesting, though.” 

He looked intrigued. “Oh yeah?” 

“Yeah. He seemed…” she trailed off, trying to find the right words to describe it. “I don’t know. It seemed like he kind of felt bad about it going that way.” 

Danny frowned as he thought. “I don’t really know what to think about that.” He leaned back, looking out of the windshield. “You know, we weren’t always so… against each other. I mean, I never liked that I had to go to the GiW for help, but they _did_ offer it when I needed it.”

“When did it start to go wrong?”

Danny shrugged. “It just happened out of nowhere. Hayes started questioning me about my ghost half, like, a lot. And he clearly didn’t trust me anymore. I mean, not like the trust between you and me. More like… He’d send his agents to fights I could handle just fine on my own. Fights I’d _done_ on my own before.”

That _was_ pretty strange. Valerie knew Hayes was frustrated at his lack of knowledge about the extent of Danny’s powers, but he wouldn’t send a field agent to collect that kind of data. “How long into your agreement did he start to act like that?” 

“Hmm. We started working together maybe 5 or 6 months after you all left… I’d say two years after that?” His head tilted sideways as he thought. “Yeah. Two years. I remember arguing with him just before my 20th birthday.” 

“And there was nothing else that changed?”

He shook his head. “No new powers, no new hunters. I mean, other than the ghosts, _nothing_ changes here.” 

Valerie nodded. “Yeah, I noticed that, actually.” It was kind of comforting to see that her childhood home was so familiar. “It’s kind of crazy.”

Danny shrugged. “I guess the ghost stuff keeps outside people away.” 

“Mmm. You know, if Hayes completely changed his tune with you after finding… whatever he found, I can’t imagine how telling him about your alternate future is going to help the situation any.” Her words still didn’t emphasize how much she did NOT want to do just that.

“I’m sure it won’t be great,” he admitted, “but if whatever he’s worried about now isn’t enough for him to tell you about some super-weapon, we have to find something that _is.”_

Valerie sighed. “We’re going to keep going in circles if we try this conversation again.”

“Hey,” Danny raises his hands in surrender, “if you have a better idea I fully encourage you to try it. I’d also like not to make things worse.” 

The lack of progress with anything was frustrating. It felt like they were constantly receiving new information that was making the situation worse, and absolutely no answers. A relatively simple evening of observation was exactly the kind of stress-relief Valerie was looking for. 

“We’ve got a good hour before sundown. What do you wanna do?” She crumpled up the empty wrapper from her sandwich and tossed it into the backseat. 

Danny swallowed the food in his mouth. “I’ve had a lot of trouble getting past this one level in Candy Crush if you want a shot at it.” He suggested, already unlocking his phone.

Valerie rolled her eyes. “You’re such a grandma.” She held out a hand. “Let me see it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is very very late but I have been soooo swamped in real life then I was done but hated a lot of it so it was heavily rewritten anyway please take it I’m donezo w this one


End file.
